Inflammation Flashcards
Define inflammation
This is the body’s natural response to injury and infection that involves a sequence of interrelated events that bring plasma proteins and blood cel to the injured area to initiate tissue repair
What are the 4 cardinal features of inflammation
Heat
Redness
Swelling
Pain
What is the heat from inflammation caused by
Increased blood flow and release of inflammatory mediators
What is the redness from inflammation caused by
Increased vascularity of the region
What is the swelling from inflammation caused by
Exudation of fluid, proteins and cells into the area of tissue damage
What is the pain from inflammation caused by
Caused by activation of pain receptors by inflammatory mediators in inflammatory exudate
Name a few ways that inflammation can be triggered
- Physical agents - heat, cold, radiation
- Foreign bodies - splinters, dirt, sutures
- Chemicals - acids, alkali
- Infections - bacteria, viruses, fungi
- Immune mediated - immune complexes, hypersensitive
What are the functions of inflammation
- Destroy and remove pathogens or injuring foreign bodies
- Limiting and confining the effects of pathogens and their products
- Repairing and replacing damaged tissue
Describe the characteristics of acute inflammation
Occurs early and consists of transient episodes (days, weeks)
Characterised by neutrophil infiltration
Describe the characteristics of chronic inflammation
Longer lasting - months/years
Characterised by lymphocytes and macrophages
Why do inflammation responses need to be tightly regulated
They can become harmful and are sometimes linked to heart disease or stroke and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
What receptors are used to recognise pathogens
PRRs = Pattern recognition receptors
What on pathogens is used by cells to identify them
PAMPs = Pathogen associated molecular patterns
Name a few types of bacterial PAMPs
LPS Lipoproteins Flagellin DNA RNA
Name some PAMPs for viruses
DNA
RNA
Structural proteins
Describe the inflammation process (7 points)
- Pathogen breaches physical barrier
- Platelets secrete blood clotting-factors
- Mast cells promote vasodilation, vascular constriction and delivery of plasma/cells to injured area
- Neutrophils kill and degrade the pathogens
- Phagocytosis by neutrophils and macrophages
- Macrophages secrete cytokines that attract and activate immune rcells to induce tissue repair
- Inflammatory response continues until infectious/foreign material is removed and tissue repaired
What are platelets
Small fragments of megakaryocytic with a significant role in modulating clot formation
What types of granules are expressed by platelets
Alpha
Dense
Lysosomal