Complement Titration

Complement titration is a method for determining the level of complement in blood serum. It is based on assessing the ability of serum to lyse red blood cells with the addition of hemolysin, a substance that causes cell destruction.

To perform complement titration, it is necessary to prepare a hemolysin solution and add it to the serum. Then you need to add different dilutions of serum and observe the reaction of erythrocyte lysis. If the serum contains a sufficient amount of complement, it will lyse red blood cells.

Complement titration is used to diagnose various diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and others. It can also be used to monitor the effectiveness of treatments for these diseases.

However, it should be noted that complement titration is not a universal method for diagnosing all diseases. Therefore, for accurate diagnosis it is necessary to use a set of methods, including clinical, laboratory and instrumental.

Complement titration is an important method for diagnosing and monitoring the treatment of diseases associated with decreased complement activity, such as autoimmune diseases, bacterial infections and allergic reactions. This laboratory test assesses the concentration of components of the complement system. This method is quite simple, and its implementation does not require special equipment or knowledge.

The principle of the method is that the patient's blood serum or other biological fluids are mixed with a certain amount of hemolythin (a solution with high serum concentrations responsible for the hemolysis of bacteria and red blood cells). The analysis begins by adding small dilutions of the test serum. When adding each new dilution, the amount of hemolysin remains constant, so after reaching a certain concentration (determined visually), the next dilution is added. The analysis ends after complete destruction of red blood cells has been achieved. The duration of complete decomposition of erythrocytes determines the complement titer - the highest dilution of serum at which full hemolytic activity is maintained. Then the level of activity of the entire complement in the patient is determined.

Interpretation of the results: - a high level of complement indicates good activity of the immune system and good health. - lack of complement proteins is most often a manifestation of immune system disorders. This is done by an allergist. Except

Currently, the term “complement” is used in a broad sense. It includes the entire complex of elements, starting with factors produced during life and ending with the breakdown products of the immune system. The components of the complex are proteins that are complex in structure. All of them are involved in protecting the body.

Because the different steps of the process are associated in different parts of the immune system, it is not always possible to identify them in an individual person. This is one of the reasons for the occurrence of cases of hemolysis-insensitivity (dependence on the presence of complement). However, modern laboratory methods make it possible to identify even very small differences in the relationship between the hemolysis system and complement. These include the titration test.

To carry out this test, the components of complement and hemolimsins are mixed in a certain proportion. Depending on how high the affinity of hemolytic substances with antibodies is