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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Jan 15, 2020; 11(1): 1-12
Published online Jan 15, 2020. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v11.i1.1
Complement activation in obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus
Kyumin Shim, Rayhana Begum, Catherine Yang, Hongbin Wang
Kyumin Shim, Catherine Yang, Hongbin Wang, Department of Basic Science, California Northstate University College of Medicine, Elk Grove, CA 95757, United States
Rayhana Begum, Department of Pharmacy, Primeasia University, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh
Catherine Yang, Hongbin Wang, California Northstate University College of Graduate Studies, Elk Grove, CA 95757, United States
Hongbin Wang, Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, California Northstate University College of Pharmacy, Elk Grove, CA 95757, United States
Author contributions: Shim K, Begum R, Yang C, and Wang H contributed in writing the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hongbin Wang, BPharm, MSc, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, California Northstate University College of Pharmacy, 9700 W Taron Dr, Elk Grove, CA 95757, United States. hongbin.wang@cnsu.edu
Received: August 3, 2019
Peer-review started: August 3, 2019
First decision: September 28, 2019
Revised: November 7, 2019
Accepted: November 26, 2019
Article in press: November 26, 2019
Published online: January 15, 2020
Processing time: 136 Days and 7 Hours
Abstract

Amplified inflammatory reaction has been observed to be involved in cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis. The complement system was originally viewed as a supportive first line of defense against microbial invaders, and research over the past decade has come to appreciate that the functions of the complement system extend beyond the defense and elimination of microbes, involving in such diverse processes as clearance of the immune complexes, complementing T and B cell immune functions, tissue regeneration, and metabolism. The focus of this review is to summarize the role of the activation of complement system and the initiation and progression of metabolic disorders including obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus. In addition, we briefly describe the interaction of the activation of the complement system with diabetic complications such as diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy, highlighting that targeting complement system therapeutics could be one of possible routes to slow down those aforementioned diabetic complications.

Keywords: Inflammation; Complement activation; Metabolic disorders; Obesity; Insulin resistance; Type 2 diabetic mellitus

Core tip: Inflammatory reaction is involved in cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. The complement system, a key component of innate immunity, was viewed as the first line of defense against microbial. Recent research has come to appreciate that the complement system is involved in such diverse processes as clearance of the immune complexes, complementing immune functions, tissue regeneration, and metabolism. The review is to update the role of the activation of complement system and the progression of metabolic disorders. We provided a paradigm that targeting complement therapeutics could be one of possible routes to slow down diabetic complications.