Complement-derived anaphylatoxin may be one of the causes of vascular injury and an indicator of activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The present study examines the effectiveness of dextran sulfate (DS) column immunoadsorption treatment to remove anaphylatoxins (C3a , C4a, and C5a) from the blood of patients with SLE. Seven SLE patients were subjected to immunoadsorption using DS-bound cellulose columns (Selesorb, Kaneka). Blood samples were taken both before and after the immunoadsorption session. Specimens were also obtained from both the inlets and outlets of the DS columns every 1,000 ml of treated plasma volume. The DS columns removed anaphylatoxins C3a and C4a from the separated plasma (from 775 ± 334 ng/ml to 640 ± 252 ng/ml, and from 1,303 ± 847 ng/ml to 619 ± 578 ng/ml, respectively) during the clinical anti-DNA apheresis procedure. In these study, the C5a levels in the circulating plasma of SLE patients were not elevated. To confirm whether DS-bound cellulose beads adsorbs anaphylatoxins in vitro, zymosan-activated plasma (ZAP) containing high levels of anaphylatoxins was incubated with DS-bound cellulose beads. The levels of C3a, C4a and C5a in the ZAP significantly decreased by mixing with DS-bound cellulose beads (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, C3a and C4a in the peripheral blood were not significantly decreased after the immunoadsorption, suggesting that these anaphylatoxins bypass the DS columns in apheresis and return to the patient via the cell-rich fraction.