Pathogenic role of antiprotein-phospholipid antibodies.

Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are a heterogeneous family of antibodies, including those specific for a variety of phospholipid (PL)-binding proteins and also those reacting with PL molecules. The former seem to be associated with the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). At present, the main proteins proposed as antigens are beta 2 glycoprotein I, prothrombin, protein C, protein S, kininogens and annexin V. Anionic PL might play a key role "in vivo" in the binding of aPL to PL-bound proteins. Different mechanisms may be involved in the pathogenesis of the APS, including effects of aPL on the protein C system and antithrombin III and also on platelets, endothelial cells and monocytes. Recent data on experimental animal models have provided support for a causative role of aPL in the clinical complications of the APS.