Acute Inflammation

lecture - 3
Abuobaida E. E. Abukhelaif
Assistant Prof; Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Albaha University; KSA
 objectives
´ By the end of this lecture students should be able to:

´ 1. Define Chemical mediators of inflammation:

´ Know the general principles for chemical mediators.

´ Know the sources and major effects of the mediators.

´ 2. Recognize the different cells of inflammation.

 Introduction
´
introduction
´ The vascular and cellular events of acute inflammation are brought
by a variety of chemical mediators.
´ The mediators of inflammation are the substances that initiate and
regulate inflammatory reactions.
´ The production of active mediators is triggered by:
´ 1. microbial products
´ 2. host proteins, such as the proteins of the complement, kinin and
coagulation systems (these are themselves activated by microbes
and damaged tissues)
´ Most mediators have the potential to cause harmful effects.
Therefore, there should be a mechanism to checks and balances
their action.
Chemical mediators of inflammation
´ General Features of Chemical Mediators:
´ Source of mediators: Mediators are derived either from cells or from
plasma proteins
´ Tightly regulated actions.
´ Inter-related: One mediator can stimulate the release of other
mediators. The secondary mediators may have the similar, different
or even opposite actions.
´ Most act by binding to specific receptor on target cells.
´ Diverse targets: Target cell type varies depending on the type of
mediator. They can act on one or few or many diverse targets, or
may have different effects on different types of cells.
´ Short-lived: Most of these mediators have a short-lifespan.
Role of Mediators in Different Reactions of
Inflammation
Chemical mediators of inflammation
 The inflammatory cells
´ The cells participating in acute and chronic inflammation are
circulating leucocytes, plasma cells, tissue macrophages and
inflammatory giant cells.
´ Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (pmns):
´ Known as granulocytes due to the presence of granules in their cytoplasm.
´ Neutrophils:
´ These cells comprise 40-75% of circulating leucocytes
´ their number is increased in blood (neutrophilia) and tissues in acute bacterial
infections.
´ The functions of neutrophils in inflammation are as follows:
´ i) Initial phagocytosis.
´ ii) Engulfment of antigen-antibody complexes and nonmicrobial material
 The inflammatory cells
´ Eosinophils
´ comprising 1 to 6% of total blood leucocytes
´ The absolute number of eosinophils is increased in the following conditions and,
thus, they share in inflammatory responses associated with these conditions:
´ i) allergic conditions;
´ ii) parasitic infestations;
´ iii) skin diseases; and
´ iv) certain malignant lymphomas.
´ Basophils and mast cells
´ The basophils comprise about 1% of circulating leucocytes.
´ The role of these cells in inflammation are: i) in immediate and delayed type of
hypersensitivity reactions; and
´ ii) release of histamine by IgE-sensitised basophils
 The inflammatory cells
´ Lymphocytes
´ comprising 20-45% of total blood leucocytes
´ The role of these cells in inflammation are:
´ i) lymphocytes are the most prominent inflammatory cells in many viral infections
and, along with monocytes–macrophages and plasma cells, are the most
prominent cells in chronic inflammation.
´ ii) lymphocytosis (i.e., an increased number of lymphocytes in the peripheral blood)
is most often caused by viral infections such as influenza, mumps, rubella, and
infectious mononucleosis and certain bacterial infections such as whooping cough
and tuberculosis.
´ In older individuals, chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a common cause of
lymphocytosis
 The inflammatory cells
´ Mononuclear-phagocyte system
´ A. Blood monocytes These comprise 4-8% of circulating leucocytes.
´ B. Tissue macrophages These include the following cells in different tissues:
´ i) Macrophages or phagocytes in inflammation.
´ ii) Histiocytes which are macrophages present in connective tissues.
´ iii) Epithelioid cells are modified macrophages seen in granulomatous inflammation.
´ iv) Kupffer cells are macrophages of the liver.
´ v) Alveolar macrophages (type II pneumocytes) in the lungs.
´ vi) Reticulum cells are macrophages/histiocytes of the bone marrow.
´ Role of macrophages in inflammation The functions of mononuclear-phagocyte
cells are as under:
´ i) Phagocytosis (cell eating) and pinocytosis (cell drinking).
´ ii) Macrophages on activation by lymphokines released by T lymphocytes or by
non-immunologic stimuli elaborate a variety of biologically active substances
Questionsssssssssssss