Role for the alternative complement pathway in ischemia/reperfusion injury

The terminal complement components play an important role in mediating tissue injury after ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats and mice. However, the specific complement pathways involved in I/R injury are unknown. The role of the alternative pathway in I/R injury may be particularly important, as it amplifies complement activation and deposition. In this study, the role of the alternative pathway in I/R injury was evaluated using factor D-deficient (−/−) and heterozygote (+/−) mice. Gastrointestinal ischemia (GI) was induced by clamping the mesenteric artery for 20 minutes and then reperfused for 3 hours. Sham-operated control mice (+/− versus −/−) had similar baseline intestinal lactate dehydrogenase activity (P = ns). Intestinal lactate dehydrogenase activity was greater in −/− mice compared to +/− mice after GI/R (P = 0.02) thus demonstrating protection in the −/− mice. Intestinal myeloperoxidase activity in +/− mice was significantly greater than −/− mice after GI/R (P < 0.001). Pulmonary myeloperoxidase activity after GI/R was significantly higher in +/− than −/− mice (P = 0.03). Addition of human factor D to −/− animals restored GI/R injury and was prevented by a functionally inhibitory antibody against human factor D. These data suggest that the alternative complement pathway plays an important role in local and remote tissue injury after GI/R. Inhibition of factor D may represent an effective therapeutic approach for GI/R injury.