{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,11]],"date-time":"2026-10-11T14:31:19Z","timestamp":1791729079378,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,9]],"date-time":"2022-06-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1654732800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Italian Ministry of Health (Annual Research Funding)","award":["RF-2016-02364384"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RF-2016-02364384"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biomedicines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The complement system plays a key role in myasthenia gravis (MG). Anti-complement drugs are emerging as effective therapies to treat anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody-positive MG patients, though their usage is still limited by the high costs. Here, we searched for plasma complement proteins as indicators of complement activation status in AChR-MG patients, and potential biomarkers for tailoring anti-complement therapy in MG. Plasma was collected from AChR-MG and MuSK-MG patients, and healthy controls. Multiplex immunoassays and ELISA were used to quantify a panel of complement components (C1Q, C2, C3, C4, C5, Factor B, Factor H, MBL, and properdin) and activation products (C4b, C3b, C5a, and C5b-9), of classical, alternative and lectin pathways. C2 and C5 levels were significantly reduced, and C3, C3b, and C5a increased, in plasma of AChR-MG, but not MuSK-MG, patients compared to controls. This protein profile was indicative of complement activation. We obtained sensitivity and specificity performance results suggesting plasma C2, C3, C3b, and C5 as biomarkers for AChR-MG. Our findings reveal a plasma complement \u201cC2, C3, C5, C3b, and C5a\u201d profile associated with AChR-MG to be further investigated as a biomarker of complement activation status in AChR-MG patients, opening new perspectives for tailoring of anti-complement therapies to improve the disease treatment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biomedicines10061360","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,9]],"date-time":"2022-06-09T10:49:14Z","timestamp":1654771754000},"page":"1360","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Complement Activation Profile in Myasthenia Gravis Patients: Perspectives for Tailoring Anti-Complement Therapy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"given":"Nicola","family":"Iacomino","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fiammetta","family":"Vanoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rita","family":"Frangiamore","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6800-7362","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marta","family":"Ballardini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1853-2956","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Letizia","family":"Scandiffio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Federica","family":"Bortone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Francesca","family":"Andreetta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4618-0102","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fulvio","family":"Baggi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0869-2104","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pia","family":"Bernasconi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlo","family":"Antozzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1497-1524","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paola","family":"Cavalcante","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9810-5737","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Renato","family":"Mantegazza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology IV\u2013Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"30","DOI":"10.1038\/s41572-019-0079-y","article-title":"Myasthenia Gravis","volume":"5","author":"Gilhus","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nat. 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