Roles of Inflammation in Diseases

1171 Words3 Pages

Inflammation could be defined as a medium by which the body tissues respond to all sorts of injury (Roitt, 1997). It is a defence mechanism against infection from injuries. Physical stimuli such as change in temperature, UV radiation, or skin irritation may cause release of inflammatory mediators such as cytokines that ensure the immune system provide suitable defence, chemokine that bring leukocytes to the inflammation site, eicosanoids, neuropeptides, etc. Inflammation could be acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is an immediate response to trauma; in which the body fights against foreign bodies and heal wounds. Inflammatory mediators are released from the cell, causing immune response. Vasolidation is another stage in acute inflammation; it causes increased blood flow and thus increases permeability of the blood vessels, which then result to the release of plasma protein into the affected tissues (Spector & Willoughby, 1963). It could be characterised by the redness, swelling and increased heat in the affected area. After vasolidation, the inflammatory cells penetrate the injured tissue because of increased permeability. Mast cells are responsible for releasing mediators like cytokine and chemokine that gets rid of dead cells and toxins. This is followed by the release of other important mediators by the endothelial cells. In order to make the inflammatory response effective, leukocytes, other mediators such as Leukotriene and Kinins. Ones chemokine brings leukocytes to the inflammation site, plasma proteins capable of destroying pathogenic agents are initiated, the injury begins to heal, and then acute inflammation ceases. Under normal conditions, the inflammatory response is deactivated by anti-inflammatory mechanisms to avo...

... middle of paper ...

...N. J. & Gibson, R. M. (2006).The role of inflammation in CNS injury and disease. The british journal of Pharmacology. 1 Inflammation in multiple sclerosis: the good, the bad, and the complex47, S232–S240.

Martino, G., Furlan, R. & Poliani, P. L. The pathogenic role of inflammation in multiple sclerosis. Rev Neurol. 2000 Jun 16-30; 30(12):1213-7.

Rooks, A. & Burns, T. (2010). Rook’s textbook of Dermatology. Vol 4 (Chapter 12). John Wiley and Sons.

Roitt, I. M. (1997). Essential Immunology (ninth edition). Blackwell Scientific, Oxford.

Spector, W. G., and D. A. Willoughby (1963). Inflammatory Responses. J. Pathol. Bacteriol. 27:118-149.

Martino,G., Adorini, L., Rieckmann, P., Hillert, J. Kallmann, B. Comi, G. & Filippi, M. Inflammation in multiple sclerosis: the good, the bad, and the complex. The Lancet Neurology. Volume 1, Issue 8, December 2002, Pages 499-509

Open Document