Innate Immunity Flashcards
why is the innate immune system considered non-selective?
it will attack anything and everything it considers non-self as well as our own dead/defunct tissues
why is the innate immune system fast?
does not distinguish between microbes
what are pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPS)?
conserved patterns on foreign molecules
–on bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites (INVADERS)
what are the five cardinal signs of inflammation and what do they mean?
rubor - redness
tumor - swelling
calor - heat
dolar - pain
functia laesa - loss of function
what is the first stage of the local acute inflammatory response?
vascular
what is the vascular stage of acute inflammatory response?
cells and proteins move through blood vessels and begin to collect near the site of inflammation
– vasodilation allows for blood to flow to the affected area
what is the role of histamine in the vascular stage of acute inflammation?
causes endothelial cells to contract around the blood vessel, causing cells to shorten which leads to the formation of gaps between cells – vasodilation
what is the second stage of the acute inflammatory response?
cellular
what is the cellular stage of the acute inflammatory response?
leukocytes move into the tissue where inflammation is occurring
what are cytokines and why are they released?
damaged tissues and resident immune cells release the chemical signals indicating damage has occurred
what is diapedesis and why does this occur?
an immune cell “squeezing” through the vasodilated blood vessel to make it to the affected area – caused by chemotaxis
what is chemotaxis?
chemokines are signal molecules that are released into the damaged areas - this causes immune cells (neutrophils) to migrate toward the signals
what is C-reactive protein (CRP)?
synthesized by the liver and released into the blood, which makes it a good candidate for lab tests measuring systemic inflammation
what are interleukins (IL)?
a type of cytokine
what is tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a)?
a key enzyme in initiating and amplifying the inflammatory response
what are prostaglandins?
cell-mediated inflammatory response initiated by the COX pathway
what do NSAIDs and aspirin do in the inflammatory process?
block the COX pathway, which inhibits the production of prostaglandins
what is the systemic inflammatory response?
overwhelming release of cytokines into the bloodstream
increased WBC production = systemic response
what is the acute phase response of inflammation?
occurs within hours to days
-cytokines released from the liver
where does temperature regulation take place in the brain?
hypothalamus
why does someone developing a fever feel cold?
when the hypothalamus raises the thermostatic point, the body vasoconstricts the blood vessels and causes shivering to raise the temperature
what is the response to breaking a fever?
sweat and vasodilation
