Antiphospholipid antibodies directed against a combination of phospholipids with prothrombin, protein C, or protein S: an explanation for their pathogenic mechanism?

Despite many studies on the pathophysiology of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), the mechanism by which aPL causes thrombosis has not been established. We have tried to elucidate the paradox between the prolongation of the clotting time of phospholipid-dependent coagulation tests in vitro and the occurrence of thrombosis in vivo. The effect on endothelial cell-mediated prothrombinase activity of 30 IgG fractions, of which 22 prolong the aPTT of normal plasma, was investigated. Only 4 of 22 fractions (18%) inhibited prothrombinase activity when tested on this more physiologic phospholipid surface, indicating that in most patients with aPL the prolongation of clotting tests is predominantly as in vitro phenomenon. It was recently reported that in detection methods for aPL, two plasma proteins, beta 2-glycoprotein I and prothrombin, enhance the binding of aPL to phospholipids. We have studied the specificity of the 4 IgG fractions that inhibit the prothrombinase activity and found that they were directed against a combination of phospholipids and prothrombin. However, the involvement of prothrombin in binding of aPL leading to impaired thrombin generation could still result in both a bleeding and a thrombotic tendency. Therefore, we proposed a new thrombogenic mechanism for aPL in which aPL bind to complexes of phospholipids and coagulation proteins, thereby interfering in different coagulation reactions. We tested this new hypothesis by investigating the effect of IgG from the same 30 patients on the activated protein C (APC)-mediated factor Va inactivation in the absence and presence of protein S. Three IgGs that inhibited APC-mediated factor Va inactivation independent of protein S and 4 additional IgGs that inhibited in the presence of protein S were found. Furthermore, we could specifically adsorb the inhibitory IgG with cardiolipin vesicles to which APC with or without protein S was bound. In conclusion, these results suggest that subpopulations of aPL exist that are directed to complexes of phospholipids and different plasma proteins. The identity of the plasma proteins involved in the binding of aPL might determine which pathogenic mechanism causes thrombosis.