Guinea Pig Complement

Multiple freeze-thaw cycles will result in reduced complement potency, so we offer a variety of pack sizes to satisfy applications ranging from small scale assay development experiments to large scale clinical studies. We recommend limiting the number of freeze-thaw cycles and sub-aliquot into single-use quantities whenever possible in order to extend the shelf life of all of our complement products.

The hemolytic titer measures how well complement lyses antibody-sensitized sheep red blood cells; CH50 is the dilution of serum that lyses 50% of the cells. It is the release test for every lot of our complement products, and our heat-inactivated human products are CH50 tested to confirm that complement activity is absent.

Work backwards from the readout. Complement regulators are host-specific, so the complement source is part of the assay method, not a preference.

• Antibody-depleted human complement for the hSBA (serogroup B meningococcus and gonococcus; correlate hSBA ≥ 1:4). Neisseria recruits human factor H, which rabbit and guinea pig factor H cannot replace, and the donor antibodies in native human serum would kill the target on their own.
• Baby rabbit complement for the rSBA (serogroups A, C, W and Y; correlate rSBA ≥ 1:8) and for pneumococcal OPA/MOPA, which was standardized on it.
• Adult rabbit complement for complement-dependent cytotoxicity and HLA crossmatching, the classical cell-lysis source.
• Guinea pig complement where potency per volume is the point: CH50 titration, complement fixation and the vibriocidal assay.

When the model animal's own cascade is the readout, use matched-species complement. Mouse, rat, pig, canine, cynomolgus, goat and hamster complement are available on request through our custom quote form.

For what the research literature actually uses, by pathogen and assay, see which complement source for which assay.

Guinea pig complement (38002) is the complement source in the vibriocidal assay used for cholera vaccine and Vibrio cholerae infection studies, in a serum bactericidal assay for Salmonella Typhi Vi vaccines, in bactericidal assays against Burkholderia pseudomallei, in hemolysin tests for anti-A and anti-B antibodies in blood donors, and in complement-mediated virus neutralization assays; see the publications citing 38002.