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Maggot excretions affect the human complement system
Author(s) -
Cazander Gwendolyn,
Schreurs Marco W. J.,
Renwarin Lennaert,
Dorresteijn Corry,
Hamann Dörte,
Jukema Gerrolt. N.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
wound repair and regeneration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.847
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1524-475X
pISSN - 1067-1927
DOI - 10.1111/j.1524-475x.2012.00850.x
Subject(s) - maggot , complement system , complement (music) , immune system , wound healing , alternative complement pathway , inflammatory response , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , biology , chemistry , inflammation , biochemistry , phenotype , ecology , complementation , gene
The complement system plays an important role in the activation of the inflammatory response to injury, although inappropriate complement activation ( CA ) can lead to severe tissue damage. Maggot therapy is successfully used to treat infected wounds. In this study, we hypothesized that maggot excretions/secretions influence CA in order to modulate the host's inflammatory response. Therefore, the effect of maggot excretions on CA was investigated in preoperatively and postoperatively obtained sera from patients. Our results show that maggot excretions reduce CA in healthy and postoperatively immune‐activated human sera up to 99.9%, via all pathways. Maggot excretions do not specifically initiate or inhibit CA , but break down complement proteins C 3 and C 4 in a cation‐independent manner and this effect proves to be temperature tolerant. This study indicates a CA ‐reducing substrate that is already successfully used in clinical practice and may explain part of the improved wound healing caused by maggot therapy. Furthermore, the complement activation‐reducing substance present in maggot excretions could provide a novel treatment modality for several diseases, resulting from an (over)active complement system.