Anti-nuclear antibodies positive serum from systemic lupus erythematosus patients promotes cardiovascular manifestations and the presence of human antibody in the brain.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by the presence of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs) in the serum of patients. These antibodies may cross over into the brain resulting in the development of neuropsychiatric symptoms and result in abnormal pathology in other organs such as the heart and kidneys.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine if SLE pathology could be detected in the hearts and brains of rats injected with positive human ANA serum.