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Role of Complement in Allergy

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The Complement System

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Abstract

For several decades the role for complement as a mediator of type I hypersensitivity reaction was not considered important. In the last ten years, however, the role of complement in allergy and asthma has been revisited and revised. This chapter summarizes the recent results on this topic. In in vitro and animal experiments several findings on the role of complement activation in both the sensitization and effector phases of allergic reactions have been published. Association between allergy-induced provocation of airway symptoms and generation of complement activation products was demonstrated in patients as well. Our group studied the mechanism of complement activation by allergens, and revealed a strong correlation between the extent of in vitro activation by ragweed allergen and the severity of clinical symptoms in the ragweed season in the same allergic patients. The results of most experiments described in the chapter have therapeutic relevance; clinical trials are expected to be started in the near future.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Third Department of Internal Medicine and Angoedema and Allergy Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

    Lilian Varga, Henriette Farkas & George Fust

Authors
  1. Lilian Varga
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  2. Henriette Farkas
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  3. George Fust
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD

    Janos Szebeni

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© 2004 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.

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Varga, L., Farkas, H., Fust, G. (2004). Role of Complement in Allergy. In: Szebeni, J. (eds) The Complement System. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-8056-5_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-8056-5_16

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8055-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-8056-2

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