1. Briefly describe the process of inflammation in an area that has been traumatized.
The inflammatory response starts with vasodilation and increased permeability of blood vessels. Vasodilation is a process of increasing the diameter of arterioles to allow more blood to flow to the damaged area, while the increased permeability of capillaries permit the substances that are normally retained in blood to pass from the blood vessels. This allows for the defensive proteins such as antibodies and clotting factors to enter the injured area from the blood. Next is the movement of phagocytes from the blood into interstitial fluid called emigration. Neutrophils stick and squeeze to the lining of blood vessels as they reach the damaged area to invade the microbes using phagocytosis. Tissue repair eventually takes place.
2. Choose one type of Immunity (Innate and Humoral) and explain how its mechanism protects our body.
The skin and mucous membranes (first line of defense) of the body are one of the contributors to our innate immunity as these structures provide barriers that discourage pathogens and foreign substances from penetrating the body. Hair and cilia is a physical contributor to innate immunity as hair filters out microbes and dust in the nose, while the cilia, together with mucus, trap and remove microbes and dust from the upper respiratory tract. Pathogens encounter the second line of defense after they penetrate the physical and chemical barriers of the skin and mucous membranes. An example of our second line of defense is the Natural Killer (NK) cells which kill infected target cells by releasing granules that contain perforin and granzymes. Phagocytes then kill released microbes and they also ingest foreign particulate matter.
Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. H. (2017). Tortora’s Principles of Anatomy & Physiology. Wiley.