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Discover the body's non-specific and specific defense mechanisms against pathogens. Learn how the immune system combats diseases through immune responses and the role of chemotherapy and antibiotics in fighting infections.
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Defense System • Introduction • Non-specific Defense Mechanism • Specific Defense Mechanism • Chemotherapy & Antibiotics
1. Introduction • Protection against diseases by • Non-specific defense mechanism • Combat against any type of pathogens on their invasion • Specific defense mechanism • Depend on specific recognition of the invading pathogen for action
2. Non-specific defense mechanism • Physical barriers • Skin (stratified squamous epithelium of epidermis) • Mucous membranes of the respiratory tract • Form a natural physical barrier • Prevent the entry of pathogens • The first line of defense
Chemical barriers • Gastric juice in stomach -- powerful sterilizing liquid • Lysozyme in tissue fluids -- lyse many bacteria
Phagocytosis • ‘Eating process’ • Phagosome surrounds the pathogen • Lysosomes fuse with the phagosome to digest and destroy the pathogen • Residues discharged out of the cell
Inflammatory Response • Large number of phagocytes are attracted to the wound area • Engulf and kill the pathogens
Infected or injured cells release chemical alarm signals, e.g. histamine (組胺) causing • Blood vessels dilate Blood flow to the area increases, making infected area red and warm • Permeability of vessel wall increased Massive flow of fluids out from the blood into the tissues, resulting in swelling
Phagocytes move out from the blood into the area, neutrophils and monocyte (transform into macrophage) engulf pathogens • Functions of blood clotting • Prevent loss of blood • Prevent entry of bacteria and fungi
3. Specific Defense Mechanism • Characteristics • Specificity • Memory • Two specific mechanisms • Humoral Immune Response (HIR) • Cell-mediated Immune Response (CMIR)
Terminology • Antibodies • Protein produced in response to foreign substances • Can destroy or neutralize antigens • Antigens • Substances that can elicit a specific immune response • Pathogens • Micro-organisms that can cause diseases
Humoral immune response (HIR) • Antigens e.g. bacteria, pollen, animal fur, red blood cells etc • Characteristics • B cells are involved • Recognize specific antigen and proliferate into plasma cells and memory cells • Results in production of antibodies
Antibodies combat against antigen B Antigen e.g. bacteria, pollen, animal fur, red blood cells, etc B B cell Antibody forming cell Plasma cell Memory cell
Antibodies • Y-shaped • Protein in nature • Two top ends of the ‘Y’ are specific to the particular antigen • Bind to antigen • Help to destroy or eliminate antigens by • Lysis • Enhance phagocytosis • Neutralize bacterial toxins
Cell-mediated immune response (CMIR) • Antigens e.g. intracellular bacteria, viruses, foreign substances like skin, kidney etc • Characteristics • T cells are involved • Recognize specific antigen and proliferate into T-killer cell, T-helper cells and memory cells
T Memory cell T Kill antigen directly Antigen (e.g. bacteria, viruses, foreign substances...) T T-killer cell / Cytotoxic T cell T cell T Cytokines T-helper cell B cell Plasma cell B
Primary response • Elicited when an antigen entered into the body for the first time • Secondary response • Elicited when subsequent entry by the same antigen • Characteristics • Shorter lag period • Sharper increase and a higher level of antibodies produced • High antibody level stays longer
4. Chemotherapy & antibiotics • Chemotherapy • administration of chemical substances, natural or synthetic, to kill or prevent the reproduction of micro-organisms • Some of these substances are produced by micro-organisms, which are called antibiotics e.g. penicillin
Action of antibiotics • Inhibit cell wall formation • Damage cell membrane • Interfere protein synthesis • Inhibit nucleic acid metabolism • Drawback of prolonged use of antibiotics • Development of resistant strain of micro-organisms
5. Problems arising from immune response • A. Blood transfusion (1) ABO blood group • Atypical immune response: Natural antibody is present without previous exposure to antigen, e.g. blood group A person has anti-B antibody in the plasma • Incompatibility in blood transfusion cause agglutination of RBCs and blockage of the recipient’s blood vessels • In large scale transfusion, the antibody of the donor’s blood will also attack the RBCs of the recipient.
(1) Rh factor • Rh factor is a group of antigens on RBC surface • A. Blood transfusion • Rh positive person contain the antigens (dominant) • Rh negative person has no such antigens (recessive) • Rh- mother carries an Rh+ foetus, some fetal RBCs may cross the placenta during labour, hence stimulation the mother to produce Rh antibodies • In the following pregnancies, the anti-Rh antibodies can cross the placenta to attack the foetal RBCs • The risk increases with each Rh+ pregnancy as the mother becomes more sensitized
B. Organ transplant • Surface antigens present in all body cells • Due to difference in genome, different persons have different kinds of antigens (except identical twins) • The new transplanted organ from the donor will be attacked by T cells of the recipient, causing rejection • So transplanted organ must be matched with the recipient, destruction of bone marrow and lymph tissue, and immunosuppressive drugs must be taken • May be solved by introducing stem cells into the body which will initiate no or low level immune response
C. Allergye.g. Asthma – narrowing of the bronchi and bronchioles due to swelling of the mucous membrane and excess mucus secretion that obstuct the air passages • Over-reaction of immune response to certain substances (allergens), e.g. pollen, fur, food, dust, etc., that do not stimulate a response in non-allergic persons • Allergen engulfed by macrophage, and fragments passes to T cells • T cells stimulate B cells to proliferate and differentiate into plasma cells to produce antibodies IgE which attaches to mast cells • allergens entered the body attahed to mast cells, stimulating the cells to produce histamine, which cause the symptoms of allergy, e.g. rash, profuse mucus secretion
D. Autoimmune Disease • The immune system fails to recognize and tolerate self antigens • So T cells are activated and results in production of autoantibodies • Causing inflammation and organ damage • E.g. Rheumatoid Arthritis – destruction of joints • E.g. Lupus Erythematosus – affecting joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain
References • N. P. O. Green, G. W. Stout, D. J. Taylor. 1993. Biological Science. (2nd Edition). Cambridge University Press. • McGraw – Hill Biology http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072437316/student_view0/ • HK Bio Web