Parkes A B, Harris R, Williams S, Lazarus J H, Waters J S
Department of Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff.
J Clin Lab Immunol. 1991 Jul;35(3):139-45.
This paper describes the use of an ELISA technique to assess the involvement of the complement system in the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD). Microtitre plates coated with thyroid membrane antigen were exposed to serum samples obtained from AITD patients, all of whom showed elevated levels of circulating anti-thyroid autoantibodies, and dilute guinea pig serum, as a source of complement, was then added to the microtitre wells. The degree of activation of the classical complement pathway was assessed by measuring the bound complement component C3 using a peroxidase conjugated anti-guinea pig C3 antiserum. C3 fixation and activation was greater in the presence of serum from patients with Hashimoto's disease when compared with that seen in patients with autoimmune hyperthyroidism (Graves' disease). Serum samples obtained from normal healthy volunteers and from patients with thyroid neoplasia were negative in this assay. The method allows the calculation of a putative "biologically active autoantibody" level and analysis of these data confirm our earlier observation that the species of autoantibody found in autoimmune hypothyroidism are potentially more destructive than those found in other forms of AITD.
本文描述了运用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）技术评估补体系统在自身免疫性甲状腺疾病（AITD）发病机制中的作用。将包被有甲状腺膜抗原的微量滴定板与取自AITD患者的血清样本接触，所有这些患者的循环抗甲状腺自身抗体水平均升高，然后向微量滴定孔中加入稀释的豚鼠血清作为补体来源。通过使用过氧化物酶偶联的抗豚鼠C3抗血清测量结合的补体成分C3来评估经典补体途径的激活程度。与自身免疫性甲状腺功能亢进症（格雷夫斯病）患者相比，桥本氏病患者血清存在时C3固定和激活程度更高。取自正常健康志愿者和甲状腺肿瘤患者的血清样本在此检测中呈阴性。该方法可以计算假定的“生物活性自身抗体”水平，对这些数据的分析证实了我们之前的观察结果，即自身免疫性甲状腺功能减退症中发现的自身抗体种类可能比其他形式的AITD中发现的自身抗体更具破坏性。
