The complement system in COVID-19: friend and foe?


Authors: Anuja Java,1 Anthony J. Apicelli,2 M. Kathryn Liszewski,3 Ariella Coler-Reilly,3 John P. Atkinson,3 Alfred H.J. Kim,3 and Hrishikesh S. Kulkarni4 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a global pandemic and a disruptive health crisis. COVID-19–related morbidity and mortality have been attributed to an exaggerated immune response. The role of complement […]

Direct activation of the alternative complement pathway by SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins is blocked by factor D inhibition


Authors: Jia Yu, Xuan Yuan, Hang Chen, Shruti Chaturvedi, Evan M. Braunstein, Robert A. Brodsky Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can lead to venous/arterial thrombosis, stroke, renal failure, myocardial infarction, thrombocytopenia, and other end-organ damage. Animal models demonstrating end-organ protection in C3-deficient mice and evidence of complement activation in humans have […]

Hypercoagulability in COVID-19: A review of the potential mechanisms underlying clotting disorders


Authors: Walid Alam Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 has emerged as a new viral pandemic, causing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) leading to a wide array of symptoms ranging from asymptomatic to severe respiratory failure. However, coagulation disorders have been found in some patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, leading to either a clotting disorder or hemorrhage. Several […]

COVID-19-driven endothelial damage: complement, HIF-1, and ABL2 are potential pathways of damage and targets for cure


Authors: Monia Marchetti 1 COVID-19 pandemia is a major health emergency causing hundreds of deaths worldwide. The high reported morbidity has been related to hypoxia and inflammation leading to endothelial dysfunction and aberrant coagulation in small and large vessels. This review addresses some of the pathways leading to endothelial derangement, such as complement, HIF-1α, and ABL […]

Increased complement activation is a distinctive feature of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection


Authors: Lina Ma1, View ORCID ProfileSanjaya K. Sahu1, View ORCID ProfileMarlene Cano1, Vasanthan Kuppuswamy2, Jamal Bajwa1,3, View ORCID ProfileJa’Nia McPhatter1,4 Complement activation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, it remains to be determined whether increased complement activation is a broad indicator of critical illness (and thus, no different in COVID-19). It is also unclear which […]

Sars cov 2 drives jak1 2 dependent local complement hyperactivation


Authors: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) present a wide range of acute clinical manifestations affecting the lungs, liver, kidneys and gut. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) 2, the best-characterized entry receptor for the disease-causing virus SARS-CoV-2, is highly expressed in the aforementioned tissues. However, the pathways that underlie the disease are still poorly understood. Here, […]

Biden team’s misguided and deadly COVID-19 vaccine strategy


Vaccination ‘arms race’ could prove dangerous to the American public Authors: Dr. Robert Malone and Peter Navarro The Biden administration’s strategy to universally vaccinate in the middle of the pandemic is bad science and badly needs a reboot. This strategy will likely prolong the most dangerous phase of the worst pandemic since 1918 and almost […]

Complement control for COVID-19


Authors: Markus Bosmann1,2,3,4,* The complement system is an integral part of innate immune defense. It consists of about 50 proteins in plasma, on cell surfaces, and inside host cells. The traditional view is that complement proteins guard the local extracellular spaces and systemic bloodstream against invading pathogens. Loss-of-function mutations resulting in terminal complement pathway deficiencies […]

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-mediated cell signaling in lung vascular cells


Authors: Yuichiro J. Suzuki,a,⁎ Sofia I. Nikolaienko,b Vyacheslav A. Dibrova,b Yulia V. Dibrova,b Volodymyr M. Vasylyk,c Mykhailo Y. Novikov,d Nataliia V. Shults,a and Sergiy G. Gychkab Currently, the world is suffering from the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that uses angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a receptor to enter the host cells. So […]

COVID-19 vaccines induce severe hemolysis in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria


Authors: Gloria F. Gerber,1 Xuan Yuan,1 Jia Yu,1 Benjamin A.Y. Cher,2 Evan M. Braunstein,1 Shruti Chaturvedi,1 and Robert A. Brodsky1,* Complement has emerged as a likely driver of the immune response and end-organ damage in COVID-19. In patients with severe disease, deposition of terminal complement and microthrombosis have been observed in the lung, skin, kidney, and heart.1, 2, 3, 4 Recently, we demonstrated that the severe […]