MoD 1&2 Cell Injury Flashcards
What is hypoxia?
Reduced O2 levels to cells/tissue
Name some methods of cell injury
Hypoxia, toxins, heat, cold, trauma, radiation, micro-organisms, immune mechanisms
What is is ischaemia?
Interruption of blood supply to cells/tissue
Why is injury seen quicker in ischaemia than hypoxia?
Because in ischaemia there is a lack of metabolic substrates as well as oxygen. E.g glucose for glycolysis
Distinguish between hypoxaemic, anaemic, ischaemic and histiocytic
Hypoxaemic- arterial content of oxygen low e.g reduced inspired pO2 at altitude
Anaemic- decreased ability of haemoglobin to carry oxygen e.g anaemia, CO poisoning
Ischaemic- interruption to blood supply e.g blocked vessel, heart failure
Histiocytic- inability to utilise oxygen in cells due to disabled oxidative phosphorylation enzymes e.g cyanide poisoning
Name the 4 cell components that are the principal targets of cell injury
Cell membranes
Nucleus
Proteins- cytoskeleton and enzymes
Mitochondria
What % of normal concentration must ATP fall under for vital cell functions to become compromised?
5-10%
What occurs in reversible hypoxic injury?
Loss of activity of Na+/K+ pump so Na+ rises in cell, water enters and so cell and organelles swell. Ca2+ enters damaging cell components
Glycolytic ATP production occurs creating lactic acid, lowering cell pH which reduces enzyme activity and causes chromatin to clump.
Ribosomes detach from ER and protein synthesis disrupted causing accumulations of fat and denatured proteins
What does irreversible hypoxic injury usually occur as?
Necrosis
What is a key event in irreversible injury?
Development of profound disturbances in membrane integrity and massive cytosolic accumulation of Ca2+
Where does the Ca2+ come from in cell injury?
Enters from outside cell across damaged plasma membrane and is released from stores in organelles like the ER and mitochondria
What does the high intracellular calcium activate?
ATPases (further decreasing ATP conc), phospholipases (further damaging membrane), proteases ( membrane damage and cytoskeletal proteins) and endonucleases (damage DNA)
How does lysosomal membrane damage cause harm to the cell?
Lysosomal enzymes leak into cytoplasm and damage cell
How can we detect cell injury in blood samples?
Ca2+ entering irreversibly damaged cells allows intracellular contents to leak out across cell membrane and be detected in blood. E.g if liver cells damaged transaminases will be detected in blood
What is ischaemia-reperfusion injury?
When blood flow is returned to a tissue which has been subject to ischaemia and the tissue injury is worse than if blood flow wasn’t restored
What is ischaemia-reperfusion injury due to?
May be:
Increased production of oxygen free radicals with reoxygenation
Increased neutrophils following reinstatement of blood supply causing more inflammation and injury
Delivery of complement proteins and activation of complement pathway
What types of injury are free radicals particularly produced in?
Chemical and radiation injury, ischaemia-reperfusion injury, cellular aging, high oxygen concentrations
How do free radicals injure cell membranes?
Cause lipid peroxidation of lipids in cell membrane
How do free radicals cause damage within the cell?
Damage proteins and nucleic acids, known to be mutagenic.
What physiological roles do free radicals have in the body?
Made by leucocytes for killing bacteria and used in cell signalling
Which 3 free radicals are of biological significance?
OH. Hydroxyl- most dangerous
O2- superoxide
H2O2 hydrogen peroxide
How can OH. be formed?
Radiation directly lyses water
Fenton and Haber-Weiss reactions (note H2O2 and O2- are substrates)
Fe2+ + H2O2 -> Fe3+ + OH- + .OH
O2- + H+ + H2O2 -> O2 + H2O +.OH
What is oxidative stress?
Build up of free radicals within a cell or tissue
What makes up the antioxidant system?
Enzymes: SOD O2- ->H2O2
Catalases and peroxidases complete removal H2O2 -> O2 + H2O
Free radical scavengers that neutralise free radicals: Vit A,C,E and glutathione
In extracellular matrix storage proteins e.g transferrin and ceruplasmin sequester transition metals which catalyse free radical formation
What are heat shock proteins?
Proteins that refold misfolded proteins and make sure protein destroyed if unable to refold. Important in maintaining protein viability and so maximising cell survival
What three main alterations can be seen under light microscope in injured cells?
Cytoplasmic changes- reduced pink staining due to inc water then inc pink staining due to detaching ribosomes and accumulation of denatured proteins
Nuclear changes-subtly clumped chromatin(reversible) followed by pyknosis(shrinkage), karryohexis(fragmentation) and karryolysis(dissolution)
Abnormal intracellular accumulations
What reversible changes can be seen with an electron microscope?
Swelling of cell and organelles(Na+/K+ pump failure)
Cytoplasmic blebs
Clumped chromatin due to low pH
Ribosome detachment (failure of energy dependent attachment system)
What irreversible changes can be seen with electron microscope?
Further swelling
Nuclear changes- pyknosis, karryolysis, karryohexis
Swelling and rupture of lysosomes
Membrane defects
Myelin figures(damaged membranes)
ER lysis due to membrane defects
Amorphous densities in swollen mitochondria
Define oncosis
Spectrum of changes occurring prior to cell death
Define necrosis
Morphological changes following cell death in living tissue due to progressive degradative action of enzymes on lethally injured cell
Define apoptosis
Cell death induced by regulated intracellular program where cell activates enzymes to degrade its own nuclear DNA and proteins
How is necrotic tissue removed?
Enzymatic degradation and phagocytosis by white cells
What is dystrophic calcification?
When necrotic tissue remains and calcifies
What are the two main types of necrosis
Coagulation and liquifactive