The Complement System
The Complement
System
Learning Objectives
The complement system or complement
Nomenclature of complement proteins
The pathways of complement activation
The alternative pathway
The Lectin pathway
The Classical pathway
Terminal steps of complement pathways
Inflammation
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including Opsonization
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Contact Us – Formation of MAC
, The Complement System
The Complement
This complement activation further leads
System or Complement to three major consequences which help
_____________________________________
eliminate the pathogen.
The complement system or complement is
a set of plasma proteins which are made 1. Inflammation
constitutively by liver. They are present
2. Enhanced phagocytosis:
in blood, lymph and extracellular fluids. Opsonization
The complement system assists or 3. Destruction of pathogen by
complements the immune cells in cytolysis
destroying pathogens. Most of the
There are three complement
proteins of the complement system are
activation pathways:
proteolytic enzymes. In the absence of
infection, they circulate in inactive forms
1. The Alternative Pathway
(zymogens). Infection stimulates
complement activation which means the 2. The Lectin Pathway
inactive proteins become active. 3. The Classical Pathway
The complement proteins act in a cascade
Before going into the details of
which means one reaction stimulates
these pathways, let us understand few
another reaction, which further stimulates
important points regarding the
another and so on.
nomenclature of the complement system.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Contact Us –
The Complement
System
Learning Objectives
The complement system or complement
Nomenclature of complement proteins
The pathways of complement activation
The alternative pathway
The Lectin pathway
The Classical pathway
Terminal steps of complement pathways
Inflammation
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including Opsonization
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Contact Us – Formation of MAC
, The Complement System
The Complement
This complement activation further leads
System or Complement to three major consequences which help
_____________________________________
eliminate the pathogen.
The complement system or complement is
a set of plasma proteins which are made 1. Inflammation
constitutively by liver. They are present
2. Enhanced phagocytosis:
in blood, lymph and extracellular fluids. Opsonization
The complement system assists or 3. Destruction of pathogen by
complements the immune cells in cytolysis
destroying pathogens. Most of the
There are three complement
proteins of the complement system are
activation pathways:
proteolytic enzymes. In the absence of
infection, they circulate in inactive forms
1. The Alternative Pathway
(zymogens). Infection stimulates
complement activation which means the 2. The Lectin Pathway
inactive proteins become active. 3. The Classical Pathway
The complement proteins act in a cascade
Before going into the details of
which means one reaction stimulates
these pathways, let us understand few
another reaction, which further stimulates
important points regarding the
another and so on.
nomenclature of the complement system.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Contact Us –
