Language

English

Publication Date

11-28-2024

Journal

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

DOI

10.3390/ijms252312823

PMID

39684535

PMCID

PMC11641342

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

11-28-2024

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Originally discovered in the 1890s, the complement system has traditionally been viewed as a "compliment" to the body's innate and adaptive immune response. However, emerging data have shown that the complement system is a much more complex mechanism within the body involved in regulating inflammation, gene transcription, attraction of macrophages, and many more processes. Sustained complement activation contributes to autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. Pulmonary hypertension is a disease with a poor prognosis and an average life expectancy of 2-3 years that leads to vascular remodeling of the pulmonary arteries; the pulmonary arteries are essential to host homeostasis, as they divert deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs for gas exchange. This review focuses on direct links between the complement system's involvement in pulmonary hypertension, along with autoimmune conditions, and the reliance on the complement system for vascular remodeling processes of the pulmonary artery. Furthermore, circadian rhythmicity is highlighted as the disrupted homeostatic mechanism in the inflammatory consequences in the vascular remodeling within the pulmonary arteries, which could potentially open new therapeutic cues. The current treatment options for pulmonary hypertension are discussed with clinical trials using complement inhibitors and potential therapeutic targets that impact immune cell functions and complement activation, which could alleviate symptoms and block the progression of the disease. Further research on complement's involvement in interstitial lung diseases and pulmonary hypertension could prove beneficial for our understanding of these various diseases and potential treatment options to prevent vascular remodeling of the pulmonary arteries.

Keywords

Humans, Circadian Rhythm, Hypertension, Pulmonary, Animals, Complement System Proteins, Complement Activation, Vascular Remodeling, Pulmonary Artery, complement immune system, pulmonary arterial hypertension, group classification in pulmonary hypertension, clinical studies on pulmonary hypertension with complement intervention, autoimmune diseases, circadian dysregulation

Published Open-Access

yes

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.