Molina Hector
Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8045, CSRB 6604, 4940 Parkview Place, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2004 Feb;30(1):1-18, v. doi: 10.1016/S0889-857X(03)00113-3.
Our body is in constant interaction with the environment. Some of the interactions involve the recognition and disposal of foreign substances that may harm the delicate balance between health and disease. The foreign elements, or antigens, include infectious organisms and lifeless macromolecules. The ability of the body to recognize what is dangerous and what is inconsequential, and to refrain from damaging what is perceived as self, are the main functions of the immune system. One important component of the innate immune response is the complement system. This article describes the different mechanisms of how complement is activated and the consequence of this activation, followed by a characterization of the complement's role in inflammation and autoimmunity, and the therapeutic considerations emanating from these studies.
我们的身体始终在与环境相互作用。其中一些相互作用涉及识别和清除可能破坏健康与疾病之间微妙平衡的外来物质。这些外来元素，即抗原，包括感染性生物体和无生命的大分子。身体识别危险与无关事物，并避免损害自身的能力，是免疫系统的主要功能。先天免疫反应的一个重要组成部分是补体系统。本文描述了补体激活的不同机制及其激活的后果，接着阐述了补体在炎症和自身免疫中的作用，以及基于这些研究的治疗考量。
