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Review
. 2020 Dec 23:8:606407.
doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.606407. eCollection 2020.

The Role of Complement in Myocardial Infarction Reperfusion Injury: An Underappreciated Therapeutic Target

Carl-Wilhelm Vogel  1
Affiliations
Review

The Role of Complement in Myocardial Infarction Reperfusion Injury: An Underappreciated Therapeutic Target

Carl-Wilhelm Vogel. Front Cell Dev Biol. .

Abstract

This article reviews the pathogenetic role of the complement system in myocardial infarction reperfusion injury. The complement activation pathways involved in myocardial tissue injury are identified, as are the complement-derived effector molecules. The results of past anti-complement therapies are reviewed; as the more recent therapeutic concept of complement depletion with humanized CVF described.

Keywords: cobra venom factor; complement; complement depletion; humanized cobra venom factor; myocardial infarction; reperfusion injury.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author has a financial interest in iC3 LLC of Sunnyvale, CA, a company that develops therapeutics for complement depletion.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Schematic drawing showing the molecular organization of the three complement activation pathways (lectin, classical, alternative). Please note that all three pathways merge at the stage of C3 activation and, after forming a C5 convertase, initiate the formation of the C5b-9 complex (MAC).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Effect of complement depletion with humanized CVF in a murine model of myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury. The upper panel shows immunohistochemical staining for C3 deposition. The lower left panel shows the size of the infarcted area as a percentage of the area at risk. The lower right panel shows the ejection fraction as a measure of left ventricular function (Gorsuch et al., 2009).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Dr. Klaus T. Preissner (left) and the author (right) at Windansea Beach, La Jolla, California (ca. 1980).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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