Cell Injury Flashcards
What kinds of things can cause cell injury?
Hypoxia, toxins, physical agents eg trauma, radiation, micro-organisms, immune mechanisms, dietry insufficiency
What is the difference between hypoxia and ischaemia?
Hypoxia = decreased oxygen supply Ischaemia = decreased blood supply (often worse)
What is hypoxaemic hypoxia?
Arterial oxygen content is low
What could cause hypoxaemic hypoxia?
Reduced inspired p02 eg at high altitude
Reuced absorption secondary to lung disease
What is anaemic hypoxia?
Decreased ability of haemoglobin to carry oxygen
What could cause anaemic hypoxia?
Anaemia, carbon monoxide poisoning
What is ischaemic hypoxia caused by?
Interruption to blood supply - blockage of a vessel, heart failure
What is histiocytic hypoxia?
Inability to utilise oxygen in cells due to diabled oxidative phosphorylation enzymes - caused by cyanide poisoning
In what ways could the immune system damage cells?
Hypersensitivity reactions, autoimmune reactions
What happens at a molecular level in hypoxia?
Lack of oxygen - decreased production of ATP - decreased action of sodium pump - influx of Ca2+ - increased production of lactic acid - detachment of ribosomes
What are some enzymes that are activated by calcium?
ATPase (decreased ATP)
Phospholipase (decreased phospholipids)
Protease (disruption of membrane and cytoskeleton)
Endonuclease (nuclear chromatin damage)
What are free radicals?
Reactive oxygen species - singled unpaired electron in an outer orbit which is an unstable conformation so they react with other molecules often producing more free radicals
What are the 3 free radicals that are of particular biological importance?
OH. (hydroxyl) - the most dangerous
O2- (superoxide)
H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide)
How are free radicals produced?
Normal metabolic reactions eg oxidative phosphorylation, inflammation, radiation, contact with unbound metals in the body, drugs and chemicals in the liver during metabolism
What are some enzymes that neutralise free radicals?
Superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase
How does the body control free radicals?
Antioxidant system - donate electrons to free radical (vitamins A, C and E)
Metal carrier and storage proteins (transferrin and ceruloplasmin for iron and copper)
Enzymes
How do free radicals injure cells?
Cause oxidative imbalance
Target cell membranes causing lipid peroxidation which leads to the generation of more free radicals
Also oxidise proteins, carbohydrates and DNA
What do heat shock proteins do?
Facilitate the synthesis and folding of proteins
What is an example of a heat shock protein?
Ubiquitin
What do injured and dying cells look like under a microscope?
In hypoxia:
Cytoplasmic changes, nuclear changes, abnormal cellular accumulations
What are blebs due to?
Cytoskeleton being broken down by proteases - no longer held in place
How do we diagnose cell death?
Test cell function - put cells in fluid that has dye in, if dye gets taken up then membrane is damaged meaning cells with dye in are dead
What is the difference between oncosis and necrosis?
Oncosis = cell death with swelling, the spectrum of changes that occur in injured cells prior to death
Necrosis = the morphological changes that occur after a cell has been dead some time (seen after 12-24 hours)
What are the two main types of cell necrosis?
Coagulative and liquefactive
What is coagulative necrosis?
Ischaemia of solid organs (organs with a lot of connective tissue support eg kidney)