BIOL 103 Chapter Notes -Endothelium, Complement Membrane Attack Complex, Capillary
27 Sep 2013
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Document Summary
Inflammation is nonspecific response to infection/injury: antimicrobial proteins interferons, complement proteins. Nonspecific immune defence is an inborn ability to protect against foreign cells/matter without having to recognize the invaders" specific identities. Nonspecific defences recognize some general, conserved property marking the invader as foreign particular classes of carbohydrates/lipids in cell walls of microbes. The body surface represents an initial line of defence. Very few microorganisms can penetrate the intact skin/body surfaces of most animals o. Tough, scaly skin of vertebrates, or rigid exoskeleton of arthropods. Glands on body surface secrete antimicrobial molecules acids/enzymes like lysozyme that destroy bacterial cell walls. Mucus from respiratory/upper gastrointestinal tracts sticks microbes and prevent them from entering mucous membrane barrier, so they"re swept into pharynx and swallowed or engulfed by cells. Phagocytic cells provide nonspecific defence against pathogens that enter the body. Phagocytes are cells capable of phagocytosis type of endocytosis in which the cell engulfs particles and destroys them by proteases or oxidizing agents (h2o2)
