• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.91-97
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• 1985

The capacity of tobacco infusions of Korean cigarettes to activate the complement pathway was investigated in vitro by hemolytic assay. Complement activity was studied using samples of normal rabbit serum incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ with tobacco infusions. In all mixtures containing tobacco infusion A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I at a concentration of 0.1 : 1, total hemolytic complement showed a progressive decrease of 55.92%, 48.62%, 42.89%, 49.12%, 42.26%, 52.26%, 71.96%, 60.90%, and 61.14% respectively, after 60min of incubation. This study suggests that all tobacco infusions of Korean cigarettes are activators of complement.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2021

C3 glomerulonephritis (C3GN), a rare condition associated with dysregulation of the alternative pathway of the complement system, is histopathologically characterized by isolated or dominant C3 deposition in the renal glomeruli. We report a case of C3GN associated with anti-complement factor H (CFH) autoantibodies and CHF-related protein deficiency in an adolescent male. A 16-year-old adolescent male was admitted to a hospital with a 1-month history of generalized edema prior to presentation. Persistent microscopic hematuria and low serum C3 levels were incidentally detected at 7 and 10 years of age, respectively. Laboratory test results revealed hypoalbuminemia, nephrotic-range proteinuria, microscopic hematuria, and normal serum creatinine levels. The serum C3 and C4 levels were 17 mg/dL (normal 80-150 mg/dL) and 22 mg/mL (17-40 mg/mL), respectively. Renal biopsy showed typical features of C3GN. Further investigations revealed positive results on plasma anti-CFH autoantibody testing and a homozygous deletion of CFHR1 and CFHR3, which encode CFH-related proteins 1 and 3, respectively. Proteinuria persisted despite treatment with intravenous methylprednisolone, mycophenolate mofetil, and angiotensin-receptor blocker; however, his renal function remained stable. In conclusion, anti-CFH autoantibodies serve as important contributors to C3GN. This is the first case report that describes C3GN in an adolescent Korean male with anti-CFH autoantibodies and homozygous CFHR1 and CFHR3 deletion.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.558-562
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• 1986

The extracorporeal circulation has been much improved recently, but has yet much complex problems such as the protein denaturation and the activation of the complement system by the exposure of the blood to the foreign surface, which may result in such as the postperfusion syndrome. We studied the changes of the plasma protein fractions by the electrophoresis and the complement consumption [C3, C4] by the immunodiffusion method in the patients undergoing cardiac operation from Mar. 1, 1986 to Aug. 31, 1986. The results were summarized as follows: 1. y-globulin fraction was decreased [p<0.02 by paired t-test, N=25], but a,-globulin was increased [p<0.001 by paired t test, N=25] after operation. 2. C3,C4 were significantly reduced [p<0.001 by paired t-test, N=14] postoperatively and normalized from 24 hours after operation. 3. The consumption of C3,C4 had significant linear correlation [correlation coefficient r=0.97] and C, was more markedly reduced comparing with C3, which probably means the complement activation by classical pathway in our bubble oxygenator group.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.44 no.2 s.138
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• pp.127-131
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• 2006

The furcocercus cercariae of Neodiplostomum seoulense (Digenea: Neodiplostomidae) penetrate the skins of tadpoles and shed their tails. The speculated mechanism of this tail loss was physical efforts required to produce a vigorous zigzag motion during skin penetration; no other mechanism has been proposed. We examined the relationship between the host serum and cercarial tail loss. Cercariae of N. seoulense were collected from experimentally infected Segmentina hemisphaerula, and lots of 300 cercariae were cultured in medium 199 contained several types of sera. Cercarial tail degradation was induced in all media, but all the cercariae cultured except those cultured in media containing fetal bovine serum (FBS) died within 48 hr. After 72 hr cultivation in media containing FBS, cercarial tail degradation was induced in 67.0%; in continuous cultivation 13.3% of larvae survived for 7 days. Tail degradation did not occur in the absence of serum and when serum was heat inactivated at $56^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. The addition of 20 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) blocked cercarial tail degradation completely. Moreover, the addition of 20 mM $MgCl_2$ restored tail degradation blocked by EDTA. These results suggest that the alternative complement pathway is related with the N. seoulense cercarial tail degradation induced by serum.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.43-47
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• 2019

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) VIII is an autosomal dominant inherited connective tissue disorder characterized by intractable periodontal inflammation, absence of gingiva, pretibial plaques, skin hyperextensibility, joint hypermobility, and tissue fragility with onset in the childhood or adolescence. In a recent report, heterozygous variants of the C1R or C1S related to the classical complement pathway were identified in families with history of EDS VIII. The current report describes a Korean 34-year-old female carrying a novel missense variant of C1R c.925T>G (p.Cys309Gly) and exhibiting early severe periodontitis, skin fragility, and joint hypermobility. The patient also had frontal, parietal, and temporal white matter brain lesions without definite vascular abnormalities on brain magnetic resonance imaging, which have not been surveyed meticulously in EDS VIII. Considering the genetic alteration of classic complement pathways in this condition, it is necessary to carefully observe multisystemic inflammation processes such as changes in brain white matter.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.37-42
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• 2018

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is often encountered in children with acute kidney injury. Besides the well-known shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli-associated HUS, atypical HUS (aHUS) caused by genetic complement dysregulation has been studied recently. aHUS is a rare, chronic, and devastating disorder that progressively damages systemic organs, resulting in stroke, end-stage renal disease, and death. The traditional treatment for aHUS is mainly plasmapheresis or plasma infusion; however, many children with aHUS will progress to chronic kidney disease despite plasma therapy. Eculizumab is a newly developed biologic that blocks the terminal complement pathway and has been successfully used in the treatment of aHUS. Currently, several guidelines for aHUS, including the Korean guideline, recommend eculizumab as the first-line therapy in children with aHUS. Moreover, life-long eculizumab therapy is generally recommended. Further studies on discontinuation of eculizumab are needed.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.133-135
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• 2001

The edible part of cucurbita moschata Duch, which is commonly used as a Korean traditional medicine as well as a popular food source, was studied to isolate anti-complementary substance. Extracts of Cucurbita moschata Duch showed significant anti-complementary activities on the classical pathway of the complement system. Especially, the ripe Cucurbita moschata Duch had more activity than that of the complement system. Especially, the ripe Cucurbita moschata Duch had more activity than that of the green one in terms of the overall anti-complementary activity. Among the extracts of various organic solvents of the ripe Cucurbita moschata Duch, chloroform and ethyl-acetate extracts, which are non-polar solvent extracts, showed the strongest activities. These results suggest that the major difference in the solvent extraction for the anti-complementary substances depends on the change in the chemical composition such as the fatty acid with the degree of ripening.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.42-50
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• 1992

We conducted screening on Chinese medicinal herbs to examine their anti-complementary activity by hemolytic complementary assay $(TCH_{50})$. Among 55 kinds of herbs, several herbs showed relatively potent anti-complementary activity which decreased $TCH_{50}$, more than 70% in comparison with control. Then, hot water extracts of the following herbs, Curcuma aromatica, Areca catechu, Gleditsiae spina, Euonymus alata, Acanthopanax senticous. Lonicera japonica, Aconitum carmichaeli, Curcuma zedoaria and Cinnamoum cassia, which were shown relatively potent anti-complementary activity were partially purified and analyzed their chemical properties. These activities were resistant to digestion with pronase but decreased by treatment with $NaIO_4$. These results may indicate that the complement activating ability in their herbs is due to polysaccharide. Furthermore, the anti-complementary activity of Areca catechu which was showed the most potent activity, was reduced partially in the absence of the $Ca^{++}\;ion$. After incubation of the normal human serum with partially purified polysaccharide of A. catechu in the absence of $Ca^{++}\;ion$, a cleavage of C3 in the serum was found to have occurred through immunoelectrophoresis using rabbit anti-human C3 serum. These results indicate that the mode of complement activation by polysaccharide of A. catechu is via both the alternative and classical pathway.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 1996

In searching for anticomplementary compounds, three phenylpropanoids were isolated from the roots of Agastache rugosa and identified as rosmarinic acid (RA), rosmarinic acid methyl ester (RAM) and caffeic acid methyl ester (CAM) by NMR analyses. RA and RAM exhibited strong inhibitory activity on both the classical pathway (CP) and the alternative pathway (AP) of the complement system, in vitro, but CAM did far less than RA and RAM. $RAM-M1{\sim}-M5$, the methylated derivatives from the RAM, showed that the inhibitory activity was decreased in inverse proportion to the number of methylated groups and $RAM-M 2{\sim}-M4$, the isomers of two methylated hydroxyl groups, exhibited different inhibition activity.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 1992

In order to know the defense mechanism of fish, bactericidal activity was examined into the sera of carp Cyprinus carpio, tilapia Oreochromis niloticus and flounder Paralichthys olivaseus. Each examined normal serum of fishes showed the bactericidal activity against avirulent Escherichia coli but it wasn't appeared against virulent Edwardsiella tarda. When the normal serum of each fish was treated with zymosan, it lost the bactericidal activity completely. After addition of EGTA into the normal serum of each fish, the sera of tilapia and flounder still exhibited the bactericidal activity but the serum of carp lost it. In the presence of specific antibody and complement, bactericidal activity of each antiserum was exhibited high level with in one hour incubation. On the other hand, heat inactivated antiserum showed bacteriostatic reaction. From the above results, although the activity of alternative or classical pathway of each fish complement is different, it is an important function in fish defense mechanism.