Low levels of activated protein C in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus do not relate to lupus anticoagulants but to low levels of factor II.

The presence of lupus anticoagulants (LAC) in plasma is a major risk factor for thrombosis. An attractive hypothesis to explain a LAC-mediated thrombotic tendency is that LAC interfere with activation of protein C, a natural antithrombotic in plasma. We investigated the relationship between LAC and protein C activation in vivo. We selected 20 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with LAC (and not using oral anticoagulants), 36 patients with SLE without LAC and 25 healthy volunteers. In these, we measured circulating levels of activated protein C (APC), prothrombin (FII), free protein S, C4BP, protein C, and antibodies to protein C, protein S, FII and beta2-glycoprotein I (beta2GPI). In SLE patients (n = 56), mean levels of APC, FII and free protein S were significantly (P < 0.001) lower than those in healthy volunteers (respectively 13%, 17% and 14%). Mean protein C levels and C4BP levels were similar for SLE patients and healthy volunteers. In contrast to the above hypothesis, the decreased levels of APC could not be attributed to the presence of LAC. Levels of APC were correlated with both FII levels and protein C levels. Decreased levels of APC, FII, protein C and free protein S were related to the presence of anti-FII antibodies. None of the patients had antibodies against protein C or protein S. In conclusion, although the mean levels of APC, FII and free protein S were significantly decreased in SLE patients, no correlation with LAC was found. However, anti-FII antibodies were related to decreased levels of APC, FII, protein C, free protein S and C4BP. As FII levels, and not protein C levels, were decreased in SLE patients and correlated with APC levels, we conclude that the decreased FII levels are responsible for the low levels of APC.