This site is intended for healthcare professionals

account_circleSign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Interactions

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The complement cascade is affected by a number of other plasma and tissue-based elements:

  • plasmin can cleave C1 and C3; it may be circulating in plasma or released in the lysosomal contents of neutrophils
  • thrombin can cleave early complement components
  • activated kallikrein, as well as stimulating kinin formation, can trigger complement
  • bacterial proteases can cleave early complement components directly
  • opsonin-bacterial complexes may fix complement and promote its activation

With all the potential for positive feedback and amplification, perhaps it is surprising that the system does not become disordered more frequently. Two examples of excessive activation include rheumatoid arthritis and some forms of glomerulonephritis.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.