The association between serum complement C3a and severity in patients with community-acquired pneumonia

BACKGROUND: A few studies found that the complement system may be involved in the onset and progression of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, the role of the complement system in CAP was obscure. The goal of this study was to analyze the association of serum complement C3a with CAP severity scores based on a cross-sectional study. METHODS: All 190 CAP patients and 95 control subjects were enrolled. Demographic information and clinical data were extracted. Peripheral blood samples were collected on admission. RESULTS: Serum complement C3a on admission was elevated in CAP patients compared with healthy subjects. The level of complement C3a was gradually elevated in parallel with CAP severity scores (CURB-65, CRB-65, PSI, SMART-COP, and CURXO). Complement C3a was positively correlated with blood routine parameters, renal function markers, and inflammatory cytokines in CAP patients. Furthermore, multivariate linear and logistic regression models found that serum complement C3a on admission was positively associated with CAP severity scores. Mechanistic research suggested that complement system inhibition alleviated Streptococcus pneumoniae-induced upregulation of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP in MLE-12 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Serum complement C3a on admission is positively associated with the severity of CAP patients. Inhibiting complement system attenuates S. pneumoniae-elevated secretion of inflammatory cytokines in pulmonary epithelial cells, indicating that complement C3a is involved in the pathophysiology of CAP. Serum complement C3a may serve as an earlier diagnostic biomarker for CAP.