Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Complement System01:27

Complement 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...
Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies01:22

Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies

The key clinical manifestations of Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) include several distinct cardiac symptoms.Carditis, a hallmark of acute rheumatic fever, involves inflammation of the heart's endocardium, myocardium, and pericardium. Chronic RHD often results from recurrent episodes of carditis. Its symptoms include the following:Murmurs are caused by valvular damage, especially to the mitral and aortic valves. Mitral stenosis or regurgitation is common, with characteristic heart murmurs...
Hypersensitivity Reactions: Immune-Complex Reactions01:19

Hypersensitivity Reactions: Immune-Complex Reactions

Type III hypersensitivity reactions occur when antigen–antibody complexes form and activate the complement system. Normally, these complexes help the clearance of antigens by phagocytes and red blood cells. However, when large numbers of immune complexes are present, they can deposit in tissues—particularly in the walls of blood vessels—leading to inflammation and tissue injury. These deposits trigger complement activation and neutrophil recruitment, resulting in serum sickness, a systemic...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Benralizumab as a steroid-sparing rescue therapy in ANCA-negative eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis: real-world experience from three cases and review of the literature.

Rheumatology international·2026
Same author

Capillaroscopic patterns are associated with interstitial lung disease, skin fibrosis, anti-Th/To antibodies and quality of life in systemic sclerosis: a prospective cross-sectional study.

Frontiers in medicine·2026
Same author

Associations of serum CA 15-3 with interstitial lung disease, PM/Scl100 antibodies and other disease characteristics in systemic sclerosis.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Lower total serum Immunoglobulin G is associated with impaired patient-reported health-related quality of life in systemic sclerosis: a prospective cross-sectional study.

Rheumatology international·2025
Same author

Correction to: Repeated Switching Between CT-P17 and EU Reference Adalimumab in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Active-Controlled, Phase 3, Interchangeability Study.

Advances in therapy·2025
Same author

CT-P17 Adalimumab Biosimilar in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis: An Open-Label Extension of a Phase 3 Interchangeability Study.

Dermatology and therapy·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Measuring Erythrocyte Complement Receptor 1 Using Flow Cytometry
07:20

Measuring Erythrocyte Complement Receptor 1 Using Flow Cytometry

Published on: May 19, 2020

Complement C3c Reflects Acute-Phase Response but Not Clinical Phenotype in Systemic Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional

Jakub Trefler1, Anna Pasierb1, Lidia Lech1

  • 1Department of Rheumatology, Connective Tissue Diseases, and Rare Diseases, National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, ul. Wołoska 137, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|July 15, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Serum complement C3c (C3c) reflects acute-phase responses in systemic sclerosis (SSc), correlating with inflammation markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). However, C3c and C4 levels did not correlate with SSc clinical features or patient-reported outcomes.

Keywords:
autoimmune diseasesbiomarkerscomplement system proteinsconnective tissue diseasesinflammationsystemic sclerosis

More Related Videos

Methods for Quantitative Detection of Antibody-induced Complement Activation on Red Blood Cells
06:29

Methods for Quantitative Detection of Antibody-induced Complement Activation on Red Blood Cells

Published on: January 29, 2014

High-resolution Melting PCR for Complement Receptor 1 Length Polymorphism Genotyping: An Innovative Tool for Alzheimer's Disease Gene Susceptibility Assessment
07:26

High-resolution Melting PCR for Complement Receptor 1 Length Polymorphism Genotyping: An Innovative Tool for Alzheimer's Disease Gene Susceptibility Assessment

Published on: July 18, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Measuring Erythrocyte Complement Receptor 1 Using Flow Cytometry
07:20

Measuring Erythrocyte Complement Receptor 1 Using Flow Cytometry

Published on: May 19, 2020

Methods for Quantitative Detection of Antibody-induced Complement Activation on Red Blood Cells
06:29

Methods for Quantitative Detection of Antibody-induced Complement Activation on Red Blood Cells

Published on: January 29, 2014

High-resolution Melting PCR for Complement Receptor 1 Length Polymorphism Genotyping: An Innovative Tool for Alzheimer's Disease Gene Susceptibility Assessment
07:26

High-resolution Melting PCR for Complement Receptor 1 Length Polymorphism Genotyping: An Innovative Tool for Alzheimer's Disease Gene Susceptibility Assessment

Published on: July 18, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Immunology
  • Clinical Chemistry

Background:

  • Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex autoimmune disease.
  • Complement system proteins, including C3c and C4, play roles in inflammation.
  • The utility of routine complement measurements in SSc management is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the association of serum complement C3c and C4 levels with systemic inflammation markers.
  • To investigate the relationship between C3c/C4 and clinical/immunological phenotypes in SSc.
  • To assess the correlation of C3c/C4 with patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in SSc.

Main Methods:

  • Seventy SSc patients were assessed for serum C3c, C4, CRP, ESR, IL-6, autoantibodies, and PROs.
  • Spearman correlations and linear regression analyses were employed.
  • Comparisons were made between SSc patients with and without secondary Sjögren's disease (SjD).

Main Results:

  • Serum C3c strongly correlated with CRP and ESR, independently predicting ~15-17% of their variance.
  • Serum C4 showed weaker correlations with CRP and ESR.
  • Neither C3c nor C4 correlated with IL-6, skin score, lung disease, GI involvement, autoantibodies, therapy, or PROs.
  • C3c and C4 levels were lower in SSc patients with secondary Sjögren's disease.

Conclusions:

  • Serum C3c serves as a marker of the acute-phase response in SSc, mirroring CRP and ESR.
  • Complement C3c and C4 levels do not reflect the clinical phenotype or patient-perceived burden in SSc.
  • Routine C3c and C4 measurements may offer limited value beyond assessing acute inflammation in SSc.