Presence of C5b-9 complement complex and S-protein in human myocardial areas with necrosis and sclerosis

Myocardial fragments with acute infarction (10 cases), scars after chronic infarction (6 cases), areas with focal sclerosis and necrosis (8 cases) compared with normal myocardial areas (8 cases), were processed for indirect and double-labelling immunoperoxidase techniques to localize C5b-9 neoantigens, S-protein, C3d and apolipoprotein B. Granular masses of C5b-9 and C3d and diffuse areas of S-protein and apolipoprotein B were localized in the acute or chronically damaged areas but not in areas free of lesion. Double-labelling data revealed similarly damaged areas of localization for C5b-9 and S-protein, and for C3d and apolipoprotein B, respectively, on rather different than usual tissue structures. C5b-9 determination by ELISA from myocardial eluates revealed lower levels of neoantigens in normal areas (2.3 +/- 0.3 micrograms/g dried tissue), higher levels in areas with sclerosis (7.9 +/- 0.7 micrograms/g dried tissue) and the highest amounts in areas with acute infarction (11.1 +/- 1.2 micrograms/g dried tissue). The presence of C5b-9 neoantigens in damaged myocardial areas with a different localization than S-protein is suggestive of local complement activation.