Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 5, 2026
08:47
Lighting Up the Pathways to Caspase Activation Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation
Published on: March 5, 2018
9.5K
Complement activation contributes to perioperative neurocognitive disorders in mice.
Chao Xiong1, Jinhu Liu2, Dandan Lin1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100020, China.
Journal of Neuroinflammation
|September 6, 2018
Summary
Orthopedic surgery activates complement C3a receptor signaling, contributing to neuroinflammation and cognitive decline. Blocking this pathway may offer a therapeutic strategy for perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND).
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- The complement system, particularly C3/C3a receptor signaling, is implicated in neurological disorders and shows therapeutic potential for cognition.
- The role of complement signaling in perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND) remains unclear.
- This study investigates the C3/C3a receptor pathway's involvement in PND following orthopedic surgery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the role of C3/C3a receptor signaling in a mouse model of PND after orthopedic surgery.
- To assess the therapeutic potential of C3a receptor blockade in mitigating PND-related deficits.
Main Methods:
- Adult male mice underwent tibial fracture surgery to induce PND-like behavior.
- Complement activation, neuroinflammation, synapse integrity, blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) function, and memory were assessed.
- Mice were treated with a C3a receptor blocker.
Main Results:
- Surgery increased C3 levels and C3a receptor expression in the hippocampus.
- C3a receptor blockade attenuated surgery-induced neuroinflammation, synapse loss, and BCSFB dysfunction.
- C3a receptor blockade improved memory function, while C3a administration worsened cognitive decline.
Conclusions:
- Orthopedic surgery activates complement C3a receptor signaling.
- C3a receptor blockade demonstrates therapeutic potential for reducing neuroinflammation and improving cognitive function in PND.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Complement System
10.8K
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...
10.8K
00:49Complementation Tests
6.3K
A complementation test is a simple cross to identify whether the two mutations are located on the same gene or different genes. It was first performed by Edward Lewis in the 1940s while working on fruit flies. He developed the test to identify the location and arrangement of different mutations on chromosomes.
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...
6.3K
01:23Binet's Contribution to Measures of Intelligence
1.7K
Alfred Binet, along with his student Théophile Simon, was tasked by the French Ministry of Education in 1904 to create a method for identifying students who struggled to learn through conventional classroom instruction. This initiative aimed to address overcrowding by placing such students in specialized schools. Binet and Simon developed an intelligence test comprising 30 tasks, ranging from simple commands, like touching one's nose or ear, to more complex tasks, such as drawing...
1.7K
01:23Wechsler's Contribution to Measures of Intelligence
2.1K
David Wechsler, a psychologist who worked with World War I veterans, developed a significant IQ test in 1939 called the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale. This test was innovative because it combined several subtests that measured both verbal and nonverbal skills, reflecting Wechsler's belief that intelligence is a global capacity involving purposeful action, rational thinking, and effective interaction with the environment. This test later evolved into the Wechsler Adult Intelligence...
2.1K
02:18Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
19.5K
Intrinsically disordered proteins are a group of proteins that do not fold into specific three-dimensional structures. Their structural flexibility allows them to complement ordered proteins to perform functions that are inaccessible to rigid structures. They are more common in eukaryotes than prokaryotes and may either be exclusively intrinsically disordered or hybrid proteins, consisting of a mix of ordered and disordered regions. The absence of a rigid structure in these proteins can be...
19.5K
01:29Bone Disorders
5.4K
Aging and its effect on bone remodeling is the most common cause of bone disorders. In young and healthy people, bone deposition and resorption happen at an equal rate to maintain optimal bone health.
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
5.4K