RS Lecture 5 and 6 - Airways function and Lung Cell Biology Flashcards
How do the airways branch?
Dicotomously
Why are the cartilage rings C-shaped?
To allow the oesophagus to move the bolus down into the stomach
What are the basic functions of the airways and how are they facilitated?
Conduits to conduct O2 to alveoli and CO2 out of the lung (gas exchange) -> facilitated by mechanical stability (cartilage), control of calibre (SM) and protection/cleansing
How is the airway organised?
Cartilage rings (offset) > airway SM with some mucus glands > blood vessels > airway epithelium > cilia and mucous
What is the structure of the airway?
What does mucous do?
Traps inhaled particles and absorbs gases -> moved away by the cilia and is swallowed into the oesophagus
What are the different cell types in the airway?
What is inside the goblet cells?
Mucin granules -> mucin is tightly condensed in the vesicles
How does mucin become less condensed in goblet cells?
Upon stimulus, the granules come to the surface of the cell and form a pore, with water filling the pore and when the water can’t enter anymore, it expands out of the vesicle many times bigger
What is the structure of airway submucosal cells?
Mucous producing acinae -> mucous produced and enters the collecting duct, then leaves into the airway via the ciliated duct
What do mucous and serous cells secrete?
Mucous cells secrete mucus and serous cells secrete antibacterials (watery secretion) -> glands also secrete water and salts
What is the structure of cilia?
9+2 -> 9 on outside, 2 inside; dynein slide over each other using energy from mitochondria to move the cilia
How do cilia beat?
Metachromal rhythm -> fields of cilia, with one lot of cilia beat, then the one behind beats after, so the mucus moves down
What are the functions of airway epithelium?
Secretion of mucins, water, electrolytes; movement of mucus by cilia [mucociliary clearance]; physcial barrier; production of regulatory and inflammatory mediators: NO [by NOS], CO [by HO], arachidonic acid metabolites (prostaglandins [by COX]), chemokines (IL-8), cytokines (GM-CSF), proteases
Why is NOS present in the epithelium?
Might be controlling ciliary beat
What is the function of SM in the airways?
Structure, tone (airway calibre) and secretion (mediators, cytokines and chemokines)
What occurs to the SM in asthma?
Due to inflammation: Structure -> hypertrophy and proliferation occurs; tone -> contraction increases; upregulation of secretion of mediators
What occurs to the secretory functions of SM in the airways?
In response to inflammation from bacterial products of cytokines: upregulate NOS -> ^NO; upregulate COX -> ^prostaglandins; Cytokines, chemokines and adhesion molecules brings in inflammatory cells
How is the tracheo-bronchial circulation arranged?
1-5% of CO -> systemic circulation; perfusion is highest in the body as a lot of input and output so can be very highly perfused ->bronchial arteries arise from many sites on aorta, intercostal arteries and other. Blood returns from tracheal circulation via systemic veins and blood from bronchial circulation returns via pulmonary and bronchial veins
What are the functions of the tracheo-bronchial circulation?
Good gas exchange, contributes to warming/humidification of inspired air, clears inflammatory mediators/inhaled drugs, supplies airway tissue and lumen with inflammatory cells/proteinaceous plasma
What is the mechanism of plasma exudation in the airways?
Cells in post-capillary venules can contract, which leaves gaps which lets plasma be released into IF -> sensory nerve causes cells to contract in venule OR inflammatory mediators [histamine/PAF] -> Evans blue dye can be used to see the leakage occurring
How is airway function controlled?
Nerves: PSNS, adrenergic (SNS), sensory. Regulatory and inflammatory mediators: histamine, arachidonic acid metabolites (prostaglandins), cytokines, chemokines. Proteinases (neutrophil elastase). Reactive gas species (O2-, NO)
How is the airway innervated?
Peanut enters airways, which is detected by sensory nerve, which sends PSNS stimulation, which contracts the airways -> SNS relaxes the airways to adrenaline, but there is another relaxation pathway: NO is released from NO-containing nerves [NOS technically], which relaxes the airways
How is the cholinergic reflex carried out?
Irritant detected, sends signal to CNS which is then relayed via vagus to PSNS and effector organs, which are muscarinic receptors and they contract the airway SM, causing mucous release and dilation of vessels
What are the regulatory-inflammatory cells in the airways and the inflammatory mediators that they generally produce and what can mediators affect?
What are the respiratory diseases with loss of airway control?
Asthma, COPD, CF -> cause airway inflammation/obstruction and airway remodelling
What is asthma?
A clinical syndrome charcterised by increased airway responsiveness to a variety of stimuli -> airway obstruction varies of short periods of time and is reversible