For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
The alternative complement pathway provides innate protection against microbial agents in the absence of specific antibody.1-5 The activation of this complement pathway can be triggered by a variety of substances including microbial polysaccharides or lipids, gram negative bacterial lipopolysaccharides, and surface determinants present on some viruses, parasites, virally infected mammalian cells, and cancer cells. In autoimmune diseases, the alternative complement pathway may contribute directly to tissue damage