Anti-annexin 1 antibodies: a new diagnostic marker in the serum of patients with discoid lupus erythematosus.

Annexin 1 is an anti-inflammatory molecule and has also been described to be a common target of autoantibodies. In this study, we determined whether antibodies against annexin 1 can be detected in sera of patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE). Levels of anti-annexin 1 antibodies were evaluated by a new established enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and found to be significantly higher in sera of patients with CLE when compared to normal healthy donors (NHD). Moreover, the percentage of sera positively tested for anti-annexin 1 antibodies was elevated in patients with CLE when compared to NHD. In particular, the percentage of positive sera for anti-annexin 1 antibodies was significantly higher in patients with discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE); however, disease activity did not correlate with the antibody levels. The results of this study indicate that anti-annexin 1 antibodies in sera of patients with DLE might be a valuable aid in the diagnosis of this subtype.