Complement : An Overview for the Clinician - 30/05/15

Doi : 10.1016/j.hoc.2015.02.001

Juan Carlos Varela, MD, PhD ^a, Stephen Tomlinson, PhD ^b,^⁎
^a Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
^b Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

^∗Corresponding author.

Resumen

The complement system is an essential component of the immune system. It is a highly integrative system and has a number of functions, including host defense, removal of injured cells and debris, modulation of metabolic and regenerative processes, and regulation of adaptive immunity. Complement is activated via different pathways and it is regulated tightly by several mechanisms to prevent host injury. Imbalance between complement activation and regulation can manifest in disease and injury to self. This article provides an outline of complement activation pathways, regulatory mechanisms, and normal physiologic functions of the system.

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Keywords : Complement system, Complement activation, Complement regulation, Complement function, Inflammation, Immune response