Fig. 1.

Complement is activated in liver explants and peripheral serum of patients with alcoholic hepatitis (AH). Liver lysates were prepared from liver explants from AH patients or wedge biopsies from control livers [healthy controls (HC)], and proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE. Factor B and activation fragments fBb and fBa (A and B) and complement protein 3 (C3), C3 cleavage fragments (C3b, iC3b, C3c), and heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein (HSC70, loading control) (C and D) were measured by Western blot. Relative expression is denoted as arbitrary units of density. Values represent means ± SE; n = 5 mice/group. E: expression of complement component 1, Q subcomponent receptor (C1qR), anaphylatoxin fragment of C3 (C3a) receptor (C3aR), anaphylatoxin fragment of C5 (C5a) receptor (C5aR), and C5a receptor-like 2 (C5L2) was detected in AH liver or wedge biopsies from HC by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction. Data are relative fold change over wedge biopsies from HC. Values represent means ± SE; n = 5/group. F: circulating C5a was measured in plasma. Values represent means ± SE; n = 5 HC and n = 36 AH.