Immune complex
![](/images/a/a4/Immune22.gif)
WikiDoc Resources for Immune complex |
Articles |
---|
Most recent articles on Immune complex Most cited articles on Immune complex |
Media |
Powerpoint slides on Immune complex |
Evidence Based Medicine |
Clinical Trials |
Ongoing Trials on Immune complex at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Immune complex Clinical Trials on Immune complex at Google
|
Guidelines / Policies / Govt |
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Immune complex NICE Guidance on Immune complex
|
Books |
News |
Commentary |
Definitions |
Patient Resources / Community |
Patient resources on Immune complex Discussion groups on Immune complex Patient Handouts on Immune complex Directions to Hospitals Treating Immune complex Risk calculators and risk factors for Immune complex
|
Healthcare Provider Resources |
Causes & Risk Factors for Immune complex |
Continuing Medical Education (CME) |
International |
|
Business |
Experimental / Informatics |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
An immune complex is formed from the integral binding of an antibody to a soluble antigen. The bound antigen acting as a specific epitope, bound to an antibody is referred to as a singular immune complex. After an antigen-antibody reaction, the immune complexes can be subject to any of a number of responses, including complement deposition, opsonization, phagocytosis, or processing by proteases. Red blood cells carrying CR1-receptors on their surface may bind C3b-decorated immune complexes and transport them to phagocytes, mostly in liver and spleen, and return back to the general circulation.
Immune complexes may themselves cause disease when they are deposited in organs, e.g. in certain forms of vasculitis. This is the third form of hypersensitivity in the Gell-Coombs classification, called Type III hypersensitivity.
Immune complex deposition is a prominent feature of several autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, cryoglobulinemia, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma and Sjögren's syndrome.
External links
ca:Complex immunitari de:Antigen-Antikörper-Reaktion nl:Immuuncomplex