Intro to Inflammation Flashcards
Name 4 major players in the inflammatory process
- WBCs (leukocytes)
- blood vessels
- CT cells (-blasts)
- ECM
name 4 major causes of inflammation
- physical (trauma, thermal, irradiation)
- chemical (corrosives, drugs)
- microbiological (bacterium, viruses, fungi, protozoa)
- immune responses (allergies, immune-mediated diseases)
What cells are present in an acute inflammatory response?
Neutrophils and macrophages
What is the clinical course of an acute inflammatory response?
Rapid onset, short-lived (under three weeks), symptomology
What cells are present in a chronic inflammatory response?
Lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and macrophages
What is the clinical course of a chronic inflammatory response?
Slow onset, long-lived, symptoms appear late with pronounced tissue damage
What is the hallmark (first) cell of the acute inflammatory response?
Neutrophils (PMNs)
What cell is found only in a chronic inflammatory response?
Lymphocytes
Which inflammatory response will result in more tissue damage and fibrosis?
Chronic
Which cell is responsible for laying down scar tissue in a chronic inflammatory response?
Fibroblasts
What are the cardinal signs of inflammation?
Heat (Calor)
Redness (Rubor)
Swelling (Tumor)
Pain (Dolor)
Loss of function (Functio laesa)
What is edema?
Accumulation (increase) of fluid within the extravascular compartment and interstitial tissues at the sight of tissue damage
What are the two types of edema?
Exudate and transudate
What is an exudate?
Edema fluid with a high protein concentration with specific gravity > 1.015 with INFLAMMATORY cells (neutrophils, lymphocytes)
What inflammatory reaction/pattern is associated with an exudate?
Acute response produced by mild injuries such as traumatic blisters or sunburns
What is an effusion?
Excess fluid in body cavities such as the peritoneum, pleura, or pericardium
Where is an effusion most likely to occur?
Peritoneum, pericardium, or pleura (body cavities)
What is a transudate edema?
- Edema fluid with a low protein content and specific gravity < 1.015
- Non-inflammatory and involves no increase in vascular permeability
What are the different forms of exudate?
Serous, serosanguinous, fibrinous, purulent
What are forms of serous exudate?
Serosanguinous and fibrinous
What is a serous exudate characterized by?
- Absence of a prominent cellular response with a yellow, straw-like colour
- High specific gravity, high protein concentration, no cells
ie. Blister fluid, Less injury and a lower WBC count
What is a serosanguinous exudate?
A form of serous exudate that contains red blood cells and has a red tinge
What is a fibrinous exudate?
- A form of serous exudate with a large amount of fibrin as a result of activation of the coagulation system
- Often seen on skin and SEROSAL surfaces and body cavity linings, with a higher degree of injury
- Greatly increased vascular permeability
Ie. Pericarditis, pleuritis, peritonitis
What are examples of disorders involving a fibrinous exudate?
Fibrinous pericarditis, fibrinous pleuritis, peritonitis
What is purulent exudate?
Pus with prominent cellular components associated with pathological conditions
- High specific gravity, high protein concentration, and high amounts of cells (PMNs)
What is ulcerative inflammation?
Erosion of the surface of a tissue or organ due to shedding of necrotic tissue and resulting inflammation
What morphologic pattern of inflammation is always chronic?
Granulomatous
What is the main histological difference between serous and purulent exudate?
A serous exudate has low cells (watery) and a purulent exudate has a high amount of cells (pus)
What is suppurative inflammation?
A morphological pattern of inflammation presenting with purulent exudate or “pus” accompanied by liquefactive necrosis
What three major components comprise the inflammatory response?
Vessel wall permeability changes, vasodilation, and extravasation (leukocyte movement)
What are the ordered events of the inflammatory cascade?
Transient vasoconstriction
Vasodilation
Margination
Adhesion/pavementation
Emigration/migration via chemotaxis
Aggregation
Phagocytosis
What is transient vasoconstriction?
Autonomic response two to three seconds after a cut or injury where endothelial cells vasoconstrict to prevent hemorrhage
What does the vasodilation step of the inflammatory cascade result in?
Increased blood flow to the damaged tissue and increased delivery to cells in the damaged area
Increased vascular permeability then follows
What are three responses of the body that increase vascular permeability?
Immediate-transient response, immediate-sustained response, and delayed prolonged leakage
What is an immediate-transient response regarding vascular permeability?
Vasodilation and increased vascular permeability due to endothelial cell contraction
Short lived with “leaky” capillaries
Ie. Histamine causing runny nose or watery eyes
What response to increase vascular permeability is histamine involved in?
Immediate-transient response
What is an immediate-sustained response regarding vascular permeability?
Vasodilation and increased vascular permeability due to endothelial cell damage
What is a delayed-prolonged leakage regarding vascular permeability?
Cell undergoes apoptosis hours after sustained injuries occur causing inflammation
What is an example of a situation that would cause a delayed-prolonged leakage response?
Sunburn or tanning all day resulting in rubor, calor, dolor by the end of the day
What is margination?
Movement of WBCs toward a vascular wall
What are selectins?
First molecules expressed by white blood cells during inflammation that slow down the WBC and participate in tethering and rolling
What are integrins?
Second molecule expressed by white blood cells during margination that firmly adhere a WBC to a blood vessel wall to stop its movement
What molecule expressed by white blood cells assists with transmigration?
Immunoglobulin
What step of the inflammatory cascade are selectins and integrins involved in?
Adhesion/pavementation
What is transmigration?
Action that occurs with white blood cells where they emigrate through a blood vessel wall with immunoglobulins and travel via diapedesis
What is diapedesis? What part of margination does this occur in?
White blood cell moves through a blood vessel using “foot like” processes during transmigration
What is chemotaxis?
Movement of WBC along a chemical gradient that allows WBCs to move from low to high concentration to the tissue of injury against the gradient of chemotactic factors
What are the three steps of phagocytosis in the inflammation cascade?
Recognition and binding of WBC via opsonization
Engulfment via endocytosis
Killing via free radicals, lysosomal enzymes, and production of arachidonic acid metabolites
What occurs during the recognition phase of phagocytosis?
Opsonization or “tagging” of bacteria with opsin for engulfment via endocytosis and killing
What is endocytosis?
Process by which a phagocytic cell “eats” a cell targeted by opsins
