SERUM AMYLOID PROTEIN (SAP) AS A MARKER OF AUTOIMMUNE-DISEASE IN MICE

Acute phase proteins are good markers of inflammatory processes. To cl arify whether Serum Amyloid Protein (SAP) can be a marker for the onse t of SLE disease in mice, we measured constitutive and induciblle SAP levels in normal mice of different strains, in C57Bl/6 lpr/lpr (B6lpr) and [NZB x NZW]F1 (NZB/W) SLE-prone mice, in mice that develop Lupus- like syndrome during chronic Graft versus Host (GVH) reaction and in m ice suffering acute GvH reaction. In comparison to B6lpr, NZB/W mice s howed higher blood levels of SAP but those levels did not correlate wi th autoimmune parameters. In B6lpr, the SAP levels steadily increased with age and correlated with some of the parameters used for monitorin g the SLE disease. High levels of SAP were also found in mice sufferin g acute GvH reaction whereas the lupus-like chronic GvH disease was as sociated with limited increase of SAP levels.