title: Complement: an overview for the clinician.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Varela
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA. Electronic address: tomlinss@musc.edu.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D003167:Complement Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology*; D018448:Models, Immunological
chemical_list: D003165:Complement System Proteins
keywords: Complement activation; Complement function; Complement regulation; Complement system; Immune response; Inflammation