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Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI106283

Altered immunoglobulin metabolism in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis

Joshua Levy, Eugene V. Barnett, Norman S. MacDonald, and James R. Klinenberg

Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Radiology, UCLA School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

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Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Radiology, UCLA School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

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Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Radiology, UCLA School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

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Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

Department of Radiology, UCLA School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

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Published April 1, 1970 - More info

Published in Volume 49, Issue 4 on April 1, 1970
J Clin Invest. 1970;49(4):708–715. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI106283.
© 1970 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published April 1, 1970 - Version history
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Abstract

IgG and IgM metabolism was evaluated in 10 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 10 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and in seven normal volunteers. The biological half-lives of purified IgG and IgM, labeled with 131I and 125I, respectively, were determined by serial measurements of radioactivity in the blood and urine with a gamma well counter, and by serial counts of total body radioactivity in a total body counting chamber.

The mean survival half-life for IgG in patients with SLE was 8.2 days as compared to an average of 18 days in normal controls. An average of 10.1% of total body IgG was catabolized daily compared to a mean of 3.9% in normal controls. Turnover of IgM in patients with SLE was, with very few exceptions, normal. In contrast, patients with rheumatoid arthritis revealed a milder abnormality of IgG metabolism, but markedly abnormal IgM catabolism with a mean half-life averaging 5.9 days as compared to 9.3 days in control subjects. An average of 14.2% of total body IgM was catabolized daily in patients with RA as compared to 8.1% in normal controls.

Our data suggest that there are basic differences between patients with RA and SLE in the synthesis and catabolism of IgG and IgM not readily apparent from serum IgG and IgM concentration. Abnormal IgG and IgM metabolism may be related to underlying immunological mechanisms in these diseases. Immunoglobulin turnover studies appear to be an additional means for the characterization of rheumatic diseases.

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