Role of autoantibodies in the clinical management of primary biliary cholangitis

• Published in: World journal of gastroenterology : WJG Vol. 29; no. 12; pp. 1795 - 1810
• Main Authors: Rigopoulou, Eirini I, Bogdanos, Dimitrios P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Baishideng Publishing Group Inc 28-03-2023
• Subjects: Antibodies, Antinuclear; Autoantibodies; Cholangitis - diagnosis; Cholangitis - drug therapy; Cholestasis; Humans; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary - diagnosis; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary - drug therapy; Review; Ursodeoxycholic Acid - therapeutic use; Anti-gp210; Primary biliary cholangitis; Prognosis; Primary biliary cholangitis-specific antinuclear antibodies; Anti-mitochondrial antibodies; Anti-sp100
• ISSN: 1007-9327; 2219-2840
• DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i12.1795

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by immune-driven destruction of small intrahepatic bile ducts leading a proportion of patients to hepatic failure over the years. Diagnosis at early stages in concert with ursodeoxycholic acid treatment has been linked with prevention of disease progression in the majority of cases. Diagnosis of PBC in a patient with cholestasis relies on the detection of disease-specific autoantibodies, including anti-mitochondrial antibodies, and disease-specific anti-nuclear antibodies targeting sp100 and gp210. These autoantibodies assist the diagnosis of the disease, and are amongst few autoantibodies the presence of which is included in the diagnostic criteria of the disease. They have also become important tools evaluating disease prognosis. Herein, we summarize existing data on detection of PBC-related autoantibodies and their clinical significance. Moreover, we provide insight on novel autoantibodies and their possible prognostic role in PBC patients.