Overview of the immune system in health& disease Flashcards
What are the primary organs of the immune system?
- Thymus
- Bone marrow
What are the secondary organs of the immune system?
- Spleen
- Lymph nodes
- Mucosal associated lymphoid tissue
Outline the mechanisms of defense used in natural immunity
- skin, mucous membranes
- Enzymes, complement,acute phase proteins
- Macrophages and neutrophils
- Natural killer( NK) cells
Outline the mechanisms of defense used in adaptive immunity
- Lymphocytes
- T cells: cytokines, killing
- B cells: antibodies
What can trigger inflammation?
- Infections: (bacterial, viral, parasitic) & microbial toxins
- Trauma
- Physical & chemical agents
- Tissue necrosis
- Foreign bodies ( splinters, dirt, sutures)
- Immune reactions ( aka hypersensitivity reactions)
What is the function of inflammation?
- To neutralize/destroy the harmful agent
- To alert the body to the threat of tissue injury
- To limit the extent of tissue injury
- To prepare the injuries for repair
Outline the symptoms of inflammation and the physiological responses associated with them
- ) Heat ( Calor): due to increased blood flow and elevated cellular metabolism
- ) Redness (Rubor): due to vasodilation & increased blood flow
- ) Swelling (Tumor): due to vasodilation; extravasation of fluid (permeability); cellular influx ( chemotaxis) & elevated cellular metabolism
- ) Pain (Dolor): release of soluble mediators; permeability; Chemotaxis & elevated cellular metabolism
Outline the phases of inflammation
- ) INITIATION: Induction of the acute inflammatory response
- ) AMPLIFICATION: Dependent on the extent of injury
- ) DESTRUCTION: Phagocytosis, enzymatic, non-enzymatic mechanisms
- ) TERMINATION: Resolution of inflammation, anti-inflammatory mediators
What are the molecular sensors of the innate immune response?
- Pattern recognition receptors ( PRRs)
What are the molecular sensors of the innate immune response able to detect?
- Conserved pathogen structures ( Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns, PAMPs)
- Endogenous insults
- Exogenous danger signals ( Danger Associated Molecular Patterns, DAMPs)
What mediates the recognition in innate immunity?
Diverse recognition elements, 4 key families of pattern recognition receptors
- Toll like receptors (TLRs, transmembrane receptors)
- Rigl-like receptors (RLRs, cytoplasmic RNA helicase)
- NOD-like receptors (NLRs, cytoplasmic sensors)
- C-type lectin receptors (CLRs, transmembrane receptors)
What is the function of Interleukin 8 ( IL-8) ?
-Good chemotaxic agent for neutrophils, recruiting them to the site of inflammation
What is the function of Interleukin 12 (IL-12)?
-Drives the development of certain types of T cell e.g Th1
Which interleukins up-regulate vascular adhesion molecules?
TNF-alpha
IL-1
IL-6
Which interleukins increase vascular permeability?
TNF-alpha
IL-1