Anapc2 antibody fiber neuropathy (SFN) is a common symptom of many autoimmune diseases, but no clear cause is found in up to half of these patients. Recent clinical and preclinical studies have shown that neuropathic pain in these patients is mediated by autoantibodies targeting antigens within the nervous system. Importantly, treatment of these patients with immunotherapies such as intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) relieves symptoms including a reduction in pain intensity and improvement of Intensity Neural Neuropathy Fatigue Scale (INNSF) scores.

SFN Antibody associated with SFN include TS-HDS antibodies, plexin D1-Abs and covid-19 antibodies1. FGFR3 Autoantibodies are also associated with SFN. Autoantibodies to TS-HDS and FGFR3 are not present in healthy individuals, suggesting they are pathogenic. IVIG is a treatment that has been shown to improve neuropathic pain in patients with idiopathic SFN, as well as SFN associated with systemic autoimmune disease and SFN associated with sarcoidosis. TS-HDS-Ab positive patients with SFN are the most responsive to IVIG, but neuropathic pain can recur after treatment with IVIG is discontinued.

High-Quality ALDH7A1 Antibody for Reliable Detection

This study aims to identify additional SFN associated autoantibodies by performing high throughput proteomic analysis of peripheral blood from SFN and control subjects. Peripheral blood samples (3ml) from 59 SFN patients with iSFN, 20 HC and 5 pooled normal control sera were screened using the Sengenics KREX platform for >1,600 proteins in the main analysis and a validation cohort of 36 patients. The top 9 proteins with highest FC in both analyses were sorted and further analysed. DBNL, an adapter protein that is involved in receptor-mediated endocytosis and reorganization of the cytoskeleton, was significantly up-regulated in iSFN. DBNL may be involved in downstream processes of neuropathic pain, although further investigation is required.