Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 25, 2026

A Mouse Model of Single and Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: June 20, 2017
Human C5-specific single-chain variable fragment ameliorates brain injury in a model of NMOSD
Wenli Zhu1, Zhen Wang1, Suying Hu1
1Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry (W.Z., Z.W., S.H., Y.G., Y.L., H.S., X.D., Y.F., Y.Y.), National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an; Department of Neurology (W.Z.), Tianjin Neurological Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital; and Department of Neurology (Z.W.), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Objective:
Using phage display, we sought to screen single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) against complement C5 to treat neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).
Methods:
After 5 rounds of phage display, we isolated individual clones and identified phage clones specifically binding to C5 using ELISA. Using aquaporin-4 (AQP4)-transfected cells in vitro, we confirmed whether these scFvs prevented complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) caused by the serum of patients with NMOSD and human complement (hC). We selected an NMOSD mouse model, in which intracerebral NMOSD immunoglobulin G (IgG) and hC injections induce NMOSD-like lesions in vivo.
Results:
We obtained scFvs to test specificity and blocking efficiency. The scFv C5B3 neutralized C5 in the complement activation pathway, which prevented AQP4-IgG-mediated CDC in AQP4-transfected cells. In an NMOSD mouse model, C5B3 prevented AQP4 and astrocyte loss, decreased demyelination, and reduced inflammatory infiltration and membrane attack complex formation in lesions.
Conclusions:
We used phage display to screen C5B3 against C5, which was effective in inhibiting cytotoxicity in vitro and preventing CNS pathology in vivo.
Related Concept Videos
Mass Spectrometry: Long-Chain Alkane Fragmentation
Habitat Fragmentation
Electron Transport Chains
The ETC is comprised of...
Variability: Analysis
The range is a simple measure of variability, indicating the difference between the highest and...
Random Variables
Uppercase letters such as X or Y denote a random variable. Lowercase letters like x or y denote the value of a random variable. If X is a random variable, then X is written in words, and x is given as a number.
For example, let X = the...
Variables Affecting Phosphorescence and Fluorescence

