Clinical significance of anti-interferon -α2 and anti-interferon -ω antibody in myasthenia gravis

Abstract

Objective: To measure the levels of anti-interferon (IFN) -α2 antibody (IFN-α2-Ab) and anti-IFN-ω antibody(IFN-ω-Ab) and investigate their potential roles in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG). Methods: Radioimmunoprecipitationassay (RIPA) based on (125)I-labelled IFN-α2, -ω, acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) were used to detect anti-IFN-α2-Ab, anti-IFN-ω-Ab, anti-AChR-Ab and anti-MuSK-Ab respectively in MG patients from Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, during the year of 2013. Relationship between IFN-α2-Ab and clinical characteristics in patients with MG were analyzed. Results: With the RIPA, anti-IFN-α2-Ab was positive in 11 (22%) patients with MG, among whom, 8 were thymoma associated MG (TAMG) and 3 were late onset MG (LOMG). The double positive one was among the LOMG who was a 76-year-old ocular MG patient. Serum anti-IFN-α2-Ab levels in different subgroups of MG had no significant difference (P>0.05). MG patients with anti-IFN-α2-Ab complicated with less other autoimmune disease. Serum anti-IFN-α2-Ab levels negatively correlated with QMG score in TAMG. Conclusions: MG patients with anti-IFN-α2-Ab complicate with less other autoimmune disease. The higher serum IFN-α2-Ab levels in TAMG, the slighter symptoms present.