Week 2: Acute Inflammation Flashcards
Describe the characteristics of the inflammatory response?
- Nonspecific, innate defense mechanism that is initiated by injury of infection in vascularized tissue
- Develops quickly after an injury
- Important process for developing acquired immune response
- Tightly regulated
5.Mostly protective, but can cause injury
What is acute inflammation?
A rapid response to an injurious agent that serves to deliver mediators of host defense—leukocytes and plasma proteins—to the site of injury
What is itis?
Nomenclature to describe inflammation
What are the 3 components of acute inflammation?
- Altered vascular caliber (increased or restriction of blood flow)
- Structural changes in the microvasculature that permit plasma proteins and leukocytes to leave the circulation
- Emigration of the leukocytes from the microcirculation, their accumulation in the focus of the injury, and their activation to eliminate the agent
What are the functions of inflammation?
- Deliver defensive materials to the site that are needed to destroy and remove pathogens and their toxins
- If destruction is not possible, then to limit effects by confining the pathogen and its products
- Repair and replace tissue damaged by the pathogen and its products
- Inflammatory responses consist of both vascular and cellular reactions
What are the cardinal signs of inflammation?
- Redness “RUBOR”
- Swelling “TUMOR”
3, Heat “CALOR” - Pain “DOLOR”
- Loss of Function
What are the steps in acute inflammation?
- Inflammatory stimulus
- Inflammatory mediators
- Vascular response (effect of capillaries)
- Leukocyte migration/ phagocyte function
- Increased leukocyte/phagocytic function
- Inflammatory repair
What are examples of inflammatory stimuli?
- Biological (infectious agent)
- Ischemia (necrotic cells due to lack of blood supply)
- Immunological: Hypersensitivity reaction and immune complexes
- Thermal (burn)
- Chemical (silica, pollutants)
- Mechanical (blunt or penetrating trauma)
What are the outcomes of having different inflammatory stimuli?
Provokes a characteristic pattern of response that represents a minor variation on a similar theme
What are sentinel cells?
Macrophages and dendritic cells
Describe the release of inflammatory mediators?
- PAMPs and/or DAMPs from the inflammatory stimulus are recognized by PRRs on sentinel cells residing in the tissues
- Activated macrophages release inflammatory mediators to trigger the acute inflammatory response.
What are the responses of sentinel macrophages?
- Activated and secrete cytokines and chemokines
- Secrete TNF and IL-1 to increase vascular permeability
- IL-6 triggers the acute phase response
- Chemokine are released to draw neutrophils to the site of infected or damaged area
- Digest foreign antigen and damaged/necrotic cells
- Necrosis is a less ordered form of cell death that leads to the release of cellular contents
What are the chemical mediators that induce an inflammatory response?
- Complement proteins
- Histamine
- Serotonin
- Kinins/Bradykinin
- Prostaglandins
- Leukotrienes
What cells release histamine?
Mast cells, basophils, platelets
What is the function of histamine?
- Increased capillary permeability
- Causes vascular smooth muscle contraction
What produces serotonin?
Platelets
What is the function of serotonin?
Vasoconstriction
What produces kinins?
Platelets
What is function of kinins?
- Plasma protein
- Vasodilator
- Increases vascular permeability
- Leukocyte chemotaxis
What produces prostaglandins?
Mast cells, neutrophils, basophils, and other immune cells
What is the function of prostaglandins?
- Platelet aggregation
- Vasodilation
- Neutrophil chemotaxis
- Induces pain
What produces leukotrienes?
Produced in same pathway as prostaglandins
What is the function of leukotrienes?
- Chemotactic effect on neutrophils
- Increased vascular permeability
How does the vascular respond to inflammation?
- Blood vessels dilate increasing blood flow and tissue perfusion
- Capillary permeability increases
- Adhesion molecules become expressed on endothelial cells
- Increases infection-fighting weapons
- Triggered by chemicals released by damaged cells
- Causes the redness, swelling, and heat
What causes an edema?
Inflammatory mediator release causes vascular changes and fluid leakage during acute inflammation
What is transudate?
- Caused by hydrostatic or osmotic imbalance
- Ultrafiltrate of plasma
- Low protein content
What is exudate?
- Caused by inflammation
- Increased leukocytes (neutrophils)
- Increased vascular permeability
- High protein content (complement, antibodies, clotting factors)
- Leads to edema
What is the hallmark of acute inflammation?
Increased vascular permeability and edema
What allows edema leakage?
Restricted to venues of 20-60mm caused by endothelial gaps