Airway Function Flashcards
What are the basic functions of the airways?
- Gas exchange
- conduct O2 to the alveoli
- conduct CO2 out of the lung-
What is gas exchange facilitated by?
mechanical stability (cartilage)
control of calibre (smooth muscle)
protection and ‘cleansing’
What is the organisation of airways structure?
- Cartilage slightly offset for tensile strength
- C shaped
- Smooth muscle underneath cartilage
- Submucosal gland embedded into smooth muscle
- Pulmonary circulation
- Airway lumen
- Mucucs
- Epithelium
- Basement membrane
see notes
What are the types of cells in the airways and their function?
Lining cells: Ciliated, Intermediate, Brush, Basal
Contractile: Smooth muscle
Secretory: Goblet (epithelium), Mucous, Serous (glands)
Connective tissue: Fibroblast, Interstitial (elastin, gollagen, cartilage)
Neuroendrocrine: Nerves, Ganglia , Neuroendocrine cells , Neuroepithelial bodies
Vascular: Endothelial, Pericyte, Plasma, Smooth muslce
Immune: Mast cell, Dendritic cell, Lymphocyte, Eosinophil, Macrophage, Neutrophil
What is the structure of goblet cells and how do they produce mucus ?
Goblet cell bulges out into lumen
- Contains mucin granules
- Move apical surface and fuse with it
- Pore forms drawing water in
- As soon as hits airways takes in water and expands x100
What is the structure of the ciliated cell?
- Contain many mitochondria
How is mucous secreted by the human bronchial gland (ariway submucosal gland)?
- there areserous cellsperipheralto the mucus cells
- The serous cells produce awatery mucus(has antibacterial enzymes like lysozyme)
- The watery secretions from the serous cells flush over the mucus secretions and washes into the collecting duct
- The glands also secretewater- mucus, antibacterial enzymes, salt and water all come from these glands
What is the structure of the cilium?
- On top of ciliated cells
- Rods inside (slide over each other pushing cilia one way or another)
- Apical hooks (Engage with mucus)
- 9 outside + 2 middle in transverse
- Beat in metachronal time
What is metachronal rhythm?
One field beats
Field behind catches up
One that bear first is on backstroke
repeat
What are the functions of epithelium?
- Secretion of mucins, water and electrolytes
components of ‘mucus’ (+ plasma, mediators etc) - Movement of mucus by cilia – mucociliary clearance
- Physical barrier
- Production of regulatory and inflammatory mediators: NO (by nitric oxide synthase, NOS) - may control beating of cilia
CO (by hemeoxygenase, HO)
Arachidonic acid metabolites, e.g. prostaglandins (COX)
Chemokines, e.g. interleukin (IL)-8
Cytokines, e.g. GM-CSF
Proteases
What are the functions of airway smooth muscle in response to inflammation?
Structure
- Hypertrophy - Proliferation
Tone
- Airways calibre - Contraction - Relaxation
Secretion:
- Mediators - Cytokines - Chemokines
What happens to smooth muscle during respiratory disease e.g asthma?
Hypertrophy–>increased contractile force–>increase mediator secretion
What is an airway response to cytokines?
Upregulate NOS, PGD
Chemokines recruit inflammatory cells
Smooth muscle involvement
What is tracheo-bronchil circulation?
Massive plexus below epithelium of capillaries, veins and arteries
What is the blood flow to airway mucosa?
- 1-5% CO
- 100-150 ml/min/100g of tissue
Where to bronchial arteries arise?
- Aorta
- Intercostal arteries
How does blood return from tracheal circulation?
- Systemic veins
How does blood return from bronchial circulation?
- Bronchial veins
- Pulmonary veins
What are the function of the tracheo - pulmonary tree?
- Good gas exchange (airway tissues and blood)
- Contributes to warming of inspired air
- Contributes to humidification of inspired air
- Clears inflammatory mediators
- Clears inhaled drugs (good/bad, depending on drug)
- Supplies airway tissue and lumen with inflammatory cells
- Supplies airway tissue and lumen with proteinaceous plasma (‘plasma exudation’ – next slide)
How does plasma exudation occur in the airways?
Epithelium:
- Sensory nerves stimulated to contract by C fibre nerve and inflammatory mediators (histamine and platelet activating factor)
- Endothelial cells to contract
- Form little gaps which leak plasma out of post capillary venules to bathe tissue
- Exaggerted in pathology e.g asthma
How is airway function controlled?
Nerves:
parasympathetic (cholinergic)
(sympathetic – adrenergic?)
sensory
Regulatory and inflammatory mediators: histamine arachidonic acid metabolites (e.g. prostaglandins, leukotrienes) cytokines chemokines
Proteinases (e.g. neutrophil elastase)
Reactive gas species (e.g. O2-, NO)