[Advances in the effect of inhibiting complement activation in the treatment of sepsis-associated coagulopathy]
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Updated: Jul 26, 2025

Design of Cecal Ligation and Puncture and Intranasal Infection Dual Model of Sepsis-Induced Immunosuppression
Published on: June 15, 2019
Xin Lu1, Xin Wei2, Zhibin Wang1
1Department of Critical Care Medicine, School of Anesthesiology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Insights
Sepsis-associated coagulopathy involves excessive complement activation, worsening inflammation and coagulation. Targeting the complement system may offer new treatments for septic coagulopathy and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Hematology
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Sepsis-associated coagulopathy is a severe complication characterized by widespread coagulation activation, bleeding risk, and organ failure, often progressing to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).
- The complement system, a key part of innate immunity, is excessively activated during early sepsis, interacting with coagulation and inflammatory pathways to amplify the systemic response.
Conclusions:
- The complement system plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of sepsis-associated coagulopathy and DIC.
- Intervention in the complement system presents a potential new avenue for therapeutic drug development in sepsis treatment.
- Further research is warranted to fully elucidate the therapeutic value of complement inhibition in septic coagulopathy.
Abstract:
Sepsis-associated coagulopathy refers to extensive coagulation activation accompanied by a high risk of bleeding and organ failure. In severe cases, it is manifested as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and leads to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Complement is an important component of the innate immune system and plays an important role in defending against invasion of pathogenic microorganisms. The early pathological process of sepsis involves excessive activation of the complement system, which forms an extremely complex network through interactions with the coagulation, kinin and fibrinolytic system, amplifying and exacerbating the systemic inflammatory response. In recent years, it has been suggested that uncontrolled complement activation system can exacerbate sepsis-associated coagulation dysfunction or even DIC, indicating the potential value of intervening in the complement system in the treatment of septic DIC, and related research progress is reviewed in this article in order to provide new ideas for the discovery of sepsis-associated coagulopathy therapy drugs.
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