Complement inhibitors: a resurgent concept in anti-inflammatory therapeutics

In addition to its essential role in immune defense, the complement system contributes to tissue damage in many clinical conditions. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop therapeutically effective complement inhibitors to prevent these adverse effects. This concept, though old, received little s cientific attention until recently. Data from animal models of diseases tha t have been produced using complement-deficient, knockout, and transgenic a nimals, as well as data demonstrating that complement proteins are produced in many important tissue sites (including the brain) have attracted the in terest of many basic research scientists and applied scientists from the bi otechnology field and larger pharmaceutical firms. This resurgence of inter est has generated a wealth of new information in the field of complement in hibition, In this article, we comprehensively review up-to-date information in the field of complement inhibitors. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.