Inflammation Flashcards
What is inflammation?
Reactions of living vascularised tissue to sub-lethal cellular injury. Evolutionary development to protect against infection and trauma. Can be local/systemic, tightly regulated and involves many cell types/mediators.
What is acute inflammation?
Short and early response to injury
- Hours/few days
- Involves release of chemical mediators
- Vascular and leukocyte response
What is chronic inflammation?
Inflammation of prolonged duration in which active inflammation, tissue destruction and attempts at repair occur simultaneously.
- Weeks/months/years
- Usually due to persistent injury causing agent
What are the main components of the inflammatory response and healing?
- Cells
- ECM
- Soluble factors
- Vessels
Which cells are involved in inflammation and healing?
Neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes, eosinophils, mast cells
Which components of the ECM are involved in inflammation and healing?
- collagen
- proteoglycans
- fibroblasts
What is the role of vessels in inflammation and healing?
- immediate supply of cells and soluble factors
Which soluble factors are involved in inflammation and healing?
- Antibodies
- Cytokines
- Complement system
- Coagulation system
What are the cardinal signs of inflammation?
- RUBOR: redness (slowed blood flow and vasodilation by histamine)
- CALOR: heat (vasodilation by histamine)
- DOLOR: pain
- TUMOUR: swelling (oedema due to increase in permeability by histamine)
- FUNCTIO LAESA: loss of function (due to swelling and pain)
What is histamine?
- Vasoactive amine
- Produced by mast cells
- Packaged into granules inside mast cells - when antigen binds to IgE on the surface of mast cells - causes cross-linking and degranulation
What are the two main effects of histamine?
Vasodilation
Increased Vascular Permeability
What does dysregulation of histamine result in?
Allergy (Type 1 Hypersensitivity)
What are some other important mediators in inflammation and what do they do?
Prostaglandins: PGE2 causes vasodilation, pain and fever
PGI2 causes vasodilation
Chemokines: activate neutrophil chemotaxis
Complement: variety of proteins and actions including stimulating mast cell degranulation, neutrophil chemotaxis and osponisation
Cytokines (Interleukins and TNF): actions include pro and anti inflammatory signalling, inducing fever, weight loss and malaise
How are histamines, prostaglandins and IL-1 and TNF targeted?
prostaglandins- aspirin
histamine - anti-histamine
IL-1, TNF - anti TNF antibodies
What is exudate?
A fluid with a high content of protein and cellular debris which has escaped from blood vessels and has been deposited in tissues or on tissue surfaces, usually as a result of inflammation. FLUID LEAKS
What is transudate?
Caused by disturbances in hydrostatic and colloid osmotic pressure, not caused by inflammation.
FLUID FORCED OUT