Research and application of complement system in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease / 中华检验医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains the leading cause of death globally. The complement system is a bridge connecting innate and adaptive immunity. A variety of complement components may participate in the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis by affecting inflammatory responses, vascular remodeling and thrombosis. In recent years, the clinical values of complement levels, complement activation products and complement regulatory proteins have become increasingly prominent, and the application of complement-related biomarkers could provide an important reference for the diagnosis, prediction, risk assessment and prognosis evaluation of ASCVD. In this review, we focused on the pathophysiological mechanism of the complement system involved in ASCVD and the application of complement-related biomarkers associated with risk of ASCVD.