Anti-mitochondrial antibody

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Anti-mitochondrial antibodies
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Anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA) are

mitochondria,[1] primarily the mitochondria in cells of the liver
.

The presence of AMA in the

primary biliary cirrhosis). PBC causes scarring of liver tissue, confined primarily to the bile duct drainage system. AMA is present in about 95% of cases.[2]
PBC is seen primarily in middle-aged women, and in those afflicted with other autoimmune diseases.

Picture of immunofluorescence staining pattern of AMA antibodies.
Immunofluorescence staining pattern of AMA shown on stomach (top left), liver (top right), kidney (bottom left) and hep-20-10 cells (bottom right).

Antigens

Several of the antigens associated with anti-mitochondrial antibodies have been identified.[3]

Disease associations

Antibodies to these specific antigens have been associated with a number of conditions:

systemic lupus erythematosus and undifferentiated collagenosis, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia.[5]
These associations are not completely specific and should not be relied upon solely for diagnosis.

Antimitochondrial antibodies can also be detected in

systemic sclerosis, asymptomatic recurrent bacteriuria in women, pulmonary tuberculosis, and leprosy.[4]

Anti-cardiolipin antibodies are another type of AMA, and cardiolipin is found on the inner mitochondrial membrane.

Development

A cause of AMA has been postulated to be that xenobiotic-induced and/or oxidative modification of mitochondrial autoantigens is a critical step leading to loss of tolerance. In acute liver failure AMA are found against all major liver antigens.[6]

Around 40.5% of acute liver failure patients were found to have elevated AMA, although a larger proportion (56.9%) had anti-transglutaminase antibodies, usually associated with coeliac disease.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ MedlinePlus Encyclopedia: 003529
  2. PMID 17326160
    .
  3. ^ Berg PA, Klein R (1992) Antimitochondrial antibodies in primary biliary cirrhosis and other disorders: definition and clinical relevance: Dig Dis 10(2):85-101
  4. ^ a b Berg PA, Klein R (1986) Mitochondrial antigens and autoantibodies: from anti-M1 to anti-M9. Klin Wochenschr 64(19):897-909
  5. ^ Labro MT, Andrieu MC, Weber M, Homberg JC (1976) A new pattern of non-organ- and non-species-specific anti-organelle antibody detected by immunofluorescence: the mitochondrial antibody number 5. Clin Exp Immunol 31(3):357-366
  6. ^
    PMID 17657817
    .