Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Measuring the 50% Haemolytic Complement (CH50) Activity of Serum
08:26

Measuring the 50% Haemolytic Complement (CH50) Activity of Serum

Published on: March 29, 2010

Complement and its breakdown products in SLE

G Sturfelt1, L Truedsson

  • 1Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital of Lund, SE-22185 Lund, Sweden. Gunnar.Sturfelt@reum.lu.se

Rheumatology (Oxford, England)
|June 24, 2005
PubMed

Insights

The complement system protects the body but can harm tissues if overactivated. Understanding this dual role is key for treating infections and autoimmune diseases like SLE.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Complement System Biology

Background:

  • The complement system is crucial for innate and adaptive immunity.
  • Inappropriate complement activation can lead to tissue damage and autoimmune diseases, such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).
  • Complement deficiency increases susceptibility to infections and autoimmune conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the dual role of the complement system in health and disease.
  • To discuss complement activation pathways, products, and their involvement in autoimmunity.
  • To explore the therapeutic potential of complement regulation.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of complement system functions and dysregulation.
  • Analysis of complement's role in immune responses and pathogenesis.
  • Discussion of current understanding and future therapeutic strategies.

Main Results:

  • The complement system exhibits protective functions and pathogenic potential.
  • Complement activation pathways and products are detailed.
  • Autoimmunity against complement components and their therapeutic targeting are examined.

Conclusions:

  • The complement system's dual role necessitates careful therapeutic modulation.
  • Understanding complement regulation offers promising avenues for treating immune-related disorders.
  • Targeting the complement system holds potential for novel therapeutic interventions.

More Related Videos

Depletion of Specific Cell Populations by Complement Depletion06:17

Depletion of Specific Cell Populations by Complement Depletion

Published on: February 5, 2010

Methods for Quantitative Detection of Antibody-induced Complement Activation on Red Blood Cells06:29

Methods for Quantitative Detection of Antibody-induced Complement Activation on Red Blood Cells

Published on: January 29, 2014

Related Concept Videos

Complement System01:27

Complement System

The complement system is a group of approximately 20 plasma proteins that strengthen the body's defenses against infections through opsonization, inflammation, and cell lysis. Opsonization involves coating pathogens with complement proteins, making them more recognizable and facilitating phagocyte engulfment. Certain complement proteins induce inflammation that attracts immune cells to the site of infection. Cell lysis involves the destruction of pathogens through the formation of a membrane...
Antibody Actions01:26

Antibody Actions

Antibodies, or immunoglobulins, are critical players in the immune system's arsenal against invading pathogens. Produced by B cells and plasma cells, their primary role is to detect and bind to specific antigens, molecules found on the surface of pathogens like bacteria or viruses. Beyond antigen recognition, antibodies perform several vital functions that contribute to immune defense.
Neutralization
Antibodies can bind to pathogens, preventing them from infecting host cells. This process...
Selectins01:25

Selectins

Cell adhesion is  an essential aspect of multicellularity. While stable cell interactions usually occur between cells of the same type, transient cell interactions occur between cells of different tissue types, such as between neutrophils and endothelial cells. Selectins are one class of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) that bind carbohydrate ligands to form transient cell adhesion. They are rod-like proteins with a long extracellular part of variable length ending with the lectin domain, which...
Synthesis and Decomposition Reactions02:17

Synthesis and Decomposition Reactions

Synthesis and decomposition are two types of redox reactions. Synthesis means to make something, whereas decomposition means to break something. The reactions are accompanied by chemical and energy changes.
Antimicrobial Proteins01:23

Antimicrobial Proteins

Antimicrobial proteins are important components of the immune system. They aid the body in combating pathogens by either killing them directly or hindering their replication processes. Four main types of antimicrobial substances are interferons, the complement system, iron-binding proteins, and antimicrobial proteins.
Interferons
Interferons (IFNs) are proteins produced by lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts infected with viruses. While IFNs cannot prevent viruses from entering and...
The Proteasome Structure01:17

The Proteasome Structure

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is a well-known mechanism utilized by eukaryotic cells to remove cytoplasmic proteins that are misfolded, damaged, or no longer needed. In this pathway, the protein that needs to be eliminated undergoes a process called ubiquitination, where a chain of ubiquitin molecules is attached to the 48th lysine residue of the target protein. This ubiquitin modification helps the proteasome distinguish between a target protein and a healthy protein.
The proteasome is an...