Complement Components (N/A)

Complement components are a group of plasma proteins that play a central role in the innate immune system. They circulate in the blood and tissue fluids, mostly as inactive precursors, and become sequentially activated in response to pathogens or injury. This activation triggers a cascade of proteolytic events known as the complement cascade, which enhances the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear microbes, promote inflammation, and directly attack pathogen membranes. Deficiencies or dysregulation can lead to increased susceptibility to infections or autoimmune diseases. The main biological roles include opsonization (tagging pathogens for enhanced phagocytosis), chemotaxis & inflammation (recruiting immune cells via anaphylatoxins like C3a/C5a), and direct lysis (formation of MAC leads to cytolysis of bacteria/viruses).

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