Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026
05:31
Disruption of the Mouse Blood-Brain Barrier by Small Extracellular Vesicles from Hypoxic Human Placentas
Published on: January 26, 2024
Activation of the complement system in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia
Zoltán Derzsy1, Zoltán Prohászka, János Rigó
1First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Molecular Immunology
|February 26, 2010
Summary
The complement system is activated in normal pregnancy and further in preeclampsia, with excessive activation linked to fetal growth restriction. This study measured complement proteins and C-reactive protein (CRP) in pregnant and non-pregnant women.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Obstetrics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- The complement system plays a crucial role in immune responses.
- Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder with significant maternal and fetal implications.
- Understanding complement system activation in pregnancy is vital for managing preeclampsia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively explore the role of the complement system in normal human pregnancy and preeclampsia.
- To measure circulating levels of complement proteins, activation fragments, regulatory factors, and C-reactive protein (CRP).
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 60 preeclamptic patients, 60 healthy pregnant women, and 59 healthy non-pregnant women.
- Quantification of complement components and CRP using ELISA, radial immunodiffusion, and particle-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay.
Main Results:
- Healthy pregnant women showed higher levels of CRP, C4d, C3a, SC5b9, C3, C9, and factor H, with lower C1-inhibitor compared to non-pregnant women.
- Preeclamptic patients exhibited elevated CRP, C4d, C3a, and SC5b9, and reduced C3 compared to healthy pregnant women.
- Excessive terminal pathway activation correlated with fetal growth restriction in preeclamptic patients.
Conclusions:
- The complement system is activated via classical and/or lectin pathways in normal pregnancy, with further activation in preeclampsia.
- Elevated terminal pathway activation is associated with fetal growth restriction in preeclampsia.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the cause and consequence of systemic complement activation in preeclampsia.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Complement 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...
01:33Hormonal Regulation
The renin-aldosterone system is an endocrine system which guides the renal absorption of water and electrolytes, thus managing blood pressure and osmoregulation. Activation of the system begins in the kidneys with a small cluster of cells adjacent to the afferent and efferent blood vessels of the renal corpuscle. As the nephrons are filtering blood, juxtaglomerular cells monitor blood pressure. If they detect a decrease in pressure, they release the hormone renin into the bloodstream.
01:25Acute Inflammation III: Local and Systemic Effects
Acute inflammation produces a coordinated set of local and systemic changes that limit injury, eliminate pathogens, and initiate repair. These responses arise within minutes of infection, trauma, or chemical insult and are driven by vascular alterations and leukocyte-derived mediators. When the stimulus resolves, the reaction typically abates within days.Local EffectsAt the site of injury, arteriolar vasodilation increases blood flow, resulting in redness and warmth. Simultaneously, increased...
01:23Antimicrobial 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...
Interferons
Interferons (IFNs) are proteins produced by lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts infected with viruses. While IFNs cannot prevent viruses from entering and...
01:07Teratogenicity
The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...
01:15Transcytosis of IgG
Transcytosis is the process in which molecules are internalized by endocytosis, transported across the cell, and released through exocytosis from the opposite end of the cell. Molecules such as insulin, immunoglobulins, and certain nutrients are transferred through the recycling endosomes by recycling and transcytosis.
IgG molecules from a mother undergo transcytosis starting around 13 weeks of gestation. The amount of IgG transferred and entering the fetal blood circulation increases with...
IgG molecules from a mother undergo transcytosis starting around 13 weeks of gestation. The amount of IgG transferred and entering the fetal blood circulation increases with...