INCREASED IN-VITRO UPTAKE OF THE COMPLEMENT C3B IN THE SERUM OF PATIENTS WITH GUILLAIN-BARRE-SYNDROME, MYASTHENIA-GRAVIS AND DERMATOMYOSITIS

To examine the role of complement in certain autoimmune neuromuscular diseases, we used an in-vitro quantitative complement uptake assay tha t allows measurement of the capacity of patients' sera to deposit frag ments of the third complement component onto sensitized targets. C3 up take was significantly higher in patients with active dermatomyositis, Guillain-Barre syndrome and myasthenia gravis, compared to inclusion body myositis and controls. The in-vitro C3 uptake assay supports the role of C3b neoantigen and Membranolytic Attack Complex deposition in the target tissues and may be a useful tool to monitor disease activit y Inpatients with complement-mediated neurological disorders.