Anti–Endothelial Cell Antibodies in Takayasu Arteritis

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Abstract
Background Although a specific etiology for Takayasu arteritis has not been found, the bulk of evidence favors an autoimmune mechanism. We examined the sera of 19 patients with Takayasu arteritis for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), antinuclear antibodies (ANA), anti-DNA antibodies, antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens (ENA), anti-Ro antibodies, anticardiolipin antibodies, circulating immune complexes, and anti–endothelial cell antibodies (AECA). Methods and Results We used enzyme-linked immunoassays, immunofluorescence, counterimmunoelectrophoresis, fluorescent-activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis, and confocal microscopy. We found that although no patient had positive ANCA, ANA, anti-DNA antibodies, ENA antibodies, anti-Ro antibodies, or anticardiolipin antibodies, 18 of the 19 patients had AECA. The AECA titers of the patients were 2561±1458 compared with 126±15 arbitrary units in a normal group of control subjects (P<.001). To verify the specificity of AECA, we performed cytofluori...