HEMOLYTIC COMPLEMENT IN PERIPHERAL LYMPH OF NORMAL MEN

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 32  (3) , 392-398
Abstract
The hemolytic activity of 9 individual components of complement [C] and the concentrations of Clq, Cls, C4, C3, C3PA [properdin factor B] and C9 proteins were measured in the leg lymph and serum of 4 normal men. The mean lymph/serum ratio for total hemolytic C [CH50] was 0.257, for ClH50 it was 0.138, for C4H50 0.105, for C2H50 0.105, for C2H50 0.279, for C3H50 0.063, for C5H50 0.266, for C6H50 0.145, for C7H50 0.25, for C8H50 0.244 and for C9H50 0.253. The mean lymph/serum ratio for complement proteins was: for Clq 0.048, for Cls 0.06, for C4 0.199, for C3 0.225, for C9 0.224 and for C3PA 0.263. The low hemolytic activity of total C and of all components in lymph seems to be dependent on the low C protein concentration. The remarkably low lymph Clq protein concentration may play a physiological role in controlling total complement activity in lymph and interstitial fluid. The total complement hemolytic activity in lymph exceeded the hemolytic activity of Cl and C3, which may indicate independent activation of C5-7 and C8-9. The considerably low C3H50 level with high C3 protein concentration lacks explanation.