Immunoglobulins and Complement

Within the last ten years or so there has been considerable interest in the activation of the Complement system by surface-induced processes. Immunoglobulin of the IgG or IgM class, adsorbed at a surface with the right orientation and spatial ordering 

Hoffman129 and Baier 13° have reviewed most of the hypotheses and mechanisms suggested for blood compatibility in general and for the role of protein adsorption in particular. The safest statement one can make is that protein adsorption is indeed important in the blood compatibility process, in the compatibility of soft contact lenses, in the stability and acceptance of intraocular lenses, in the soft tissue foreign body reaction 131), and in virtually all situations where solid surfaces come into contact with physiologic environments. 

It is also safe to say that, because of the great complexity of proteins, even of the simplest, most well-characterized proteins, such as insulin, lysozyme, and myoglobin, and because of the very wide range of proteins present in most physiologic environments, very simplistic hypotheses and mechanisms are generally not very applicable. 

Techniques and methods for the study of protein adsorption have been well reviewed 4). It is now generally recognized that it is not necessarily the type and amount of protein present at the surface which is most important, but rather the orientation and conformational state of those proteins. At present it is virtually impossible to predict the specific conformation of an adsorbed protein at a particular interface. The techniques used in the determination of protein conformation in solution or in the solid state do not usually apply to adsorbed proteins. Hence, the difference between adsorbed and bulk solution protein conformation has to be inferred indirectly. 

Protein adsorption studies are performed either on high surface area material dispersed in a liquid phase containing dissolved protein, or on low surface area material, often flat, which is in contact with protein solution. Both approaches complement each other and can provide valuable information about adsorbed protein layers. 

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Also known as antibody-mediated rejection, humoral rejection is the process of creating graft-specific antibodies.1,4 This type of rejection occurs less frequently than cell-mediated acute rejection. Humoral rej ection is characterized by deposition of immunoglobulins and complement in allograft tissues. Treatment for this type of rejection is not well defined, yet several reports have shown that treatments such as plasmapheresis, immunoglobulin therapy, rituximab, and/or antithymocyte globulin maybe effective. 

Di Franco P, Brai M, Misiano G, Piazza AM, Giorgi G, Cossarizza A, Franceschi C. Genetic and environmental influences on serum levels of immunoglobulins and complement components in monozygotic and dizygotic twins. J Clin Lab Immunol 1988 27 5-10. 

Sams, W. M., Claman, H. N., Kohler, P. F., McIntosh, R. M., Small, P., and Mass, M. F., Human necrotizing vasculitis Immunoglobulin and complement in vessel walls of cutaneous lesions and normal skin. J. Invest. Dermatol. 64, 441-445 (1975). 

Korhonen, H., Marnila, P., and Gill, H.S. 2000a. Milk immunoglobulins and complement factors. Br. J. Nutr 84, S75-S80. 

Olszewski WL, Engeset A. Capillary transport of immunoglobulins and complement proteins to the interstitial fluid and lymph. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 1978 26(l-6) 57-65. 

The activation, maturation, differentiation, and mobilization of immune cells are controlled by cytokines (e.g., interleukins, interferons, and chemokines), which are soluble mediators produced by immune cells and/or by cells outside the immune system (e.g., epithelial cells and cells of the nervous system). Other soluble (humoral) mediators produced by immune cells include antibodies (immunoglobulins) and complement proteins (plasma proteins produced by monocytes and macrophages as well as hepatocytes). Mediators are important in the implementation and regulation of immune responses. 

Dettmeyer R, Stojanovski G, Madea B. Pathogenesis of heroin-associated glomerulonephritis. Correlation between the inflammatory activity and renal deposits of immunoglobulin and complement Forensic Sci Int 2000 113(l-3) 227-31. 

There are only two studies in which the effects of diets rich in monounsatu-rated FAs (MUFAs) on human immune functions have been examined. In one study, we compared the effects of feeding diets containing safflower oils with either 75% oleic acid or LA to young healthy men for 80 days (Kelley et al., 1989). The daily intake of oleic acid in the low and high MUFA diets was 24 and 51 g, whereas that of LA was 36 and 15 g. Lymphocyte proliferation and serum concentrations of immunoglobulins and complement proteins did not differ between the two diets. In another study, the effects of refined olive oil on indices of immune response in healthy men were examined (Yaqoob et al., 1998). The MUFA content of the two diets was 18.4 and... 

Cell-mediated immunity appears to play a major role in host defense against infection with C. neoformans 29% to 55% of patients with cryptococcal meningitis have a predisposing condition. Many patients with disseminated cryptococcosis demonstrate defects in cell-mediated immunity. The predilection of C. neoformans for the CNS appears to be caused by the lack of immunoglobulins and complement and the excellent growth medium afforded by CSF. ... 

Delayed response proteins increase 1-3 weeks after the acute phase response (e.g., immunoglobulins and complement). 

Kronfol, Z. and House, J. D. (1989). L5mphoc5de mitogenics, immunoglobulin and complement levels in depressed patients and normal controls. Acta Psychiatrica Scandanavica 80 142-7. 

Reports of immunoglobulin and complement components deposition in biopsies from skin lesions of penicillin-induced exanthema. 

Horiguchi, S., I. Kiyota, G. Endo, K. Teramoto, K. Shinagawa, F. Wakitani, Y. Konishi, A. Kiyota, A. Ota, and H. Tanaka. 1992. Serum immunoglobulin and complement C3 levels in workers exposed to lead. Osaka City Med. J. 38(2) 149-153. 

Immunoglobulin and complement deposition in venules and arterioles is characteristic of dermato-myositis [37, 38]. 

The immunoglobulins and complement do not fix to the stratum corneum of subjects with ichthyosis vulgaris. 

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