Question

Why is it important that activated complement proteins have very short half-lives & that the body has mechanisms to be able to quickly inactivate activated complement?

Answer 1

Answer:

Why is it important that activated complement proteins have very short half-lives & that the body has mechanisms to be able to quickly inactivate activated complement?

• Complement activation causes stimulation of phagocytes and phagocytosis of foreign particles and cell debris.
• Inactivation of complement is a critical requirement as unregulated complement activation can be injurious to health. To ensure that complement system is well regulated there are two different mechanisms of its regulation - Intrinsic and extrinsic.
  • Short half lives of complement proteins is an important feature of Intrinsic regulation.In events where complement proteins are not able to activate the next component, their short half lives leads to a quick inactivation.
  • Inhibitory molecules that can inactivate or restrict the activated complement proteins are an important feature of extrinsic regulation. For example some serum protein molecules (like factor I) enzymatically attack and inactivates complement proteins.