Systemic suppression of the complement system has been shown to be effective to treat inflammatory disease, yet at the potential cost of compromising host defense and immune homeostasis. Herein disclosed are methods for antigen-specific targeting of complement inhibitors that show that complement inhibitors targeted to the proximal tubular epithelium protect against tubulointerstitial injury and renal dysfunction in a rat model of nephrosis. It is shown that appropriate targeting of a systemically administered complement inhibitor to a site of disease markedy enhances efficacy and obviates the need to systemically inhibit complement. Additionally, it is shown by specifically inhibiting the terminal pathway of complement, that the membrane attack complex (MAC) plays a key role in proteinuria-induced tubulointerstitial injury, thus establishing the MAC as a valid target for pharmacological intervention in proteinuric disorders. The disclosed are compositions can be used in methods of treating pathogenic diseases and inflammatory conditions by modulating the complement system.
