The complement system in liver diseases: Evidence-based approach and therapeutic options

• Main Authors: Thomas Lung, Benjamin Sakem, Lorenz Risch, Reinhard Würzner, Giuseppe Colucci, Andreas Cerny, Urs Nydegger
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2019-12-01
• Series: Journal of Translational Autoimmunity
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589909019300176

Complement is usually seen to largely originate from the liver to accomplish its tasks systemically – its return to the production site has long been underestimated. Recent progress in genomics, therapeutic effects on complement, standardised possibilities in medical laboratory tests and involvement of complosome brings the complement system with its three major functions of opsonization, cytolysis and phagocytosis back to liver biology and pathology. The LOINC™ system features 20 entries for the C3 component of complement to anticipate the application of artificial intelligence data banks algorythms of which are fed with patient-specific data connected to standard lab assays for liver function. These advancements now lead to increased vigilance by clinicians. This reassessment article will further elucidate the distribution of synthesis sites to the three germ layer-derived cell systems and the role complement now known to play in embryogenesis, senescence, allotransplantation and autoimmune disease. This establishes the liver as part of the gastro-intestinal system in connection with nosological entities never thought of, such as the microbiota-liver-brain axis. In neurological disease etiology infectious and autoimmune hepatitis play an important role in the context of causative viz reactive complement activation. The mosaic of autoimmunity, i.e. multiple combinations of the many factors producing varying clinical pictures, leads to the manifold facets of liver autoimmunity. Keywords: Hepatocyte, Complement system, Complosome, Autoantibody, Diagnostic tests