INFLAMMATION

Damaged to the body's tissues through heat, chemicals, sunburn, cuts, or microbial infecions trigger inflammation. Sings and symptoms of inflammation include redness, pain, heat, swelling, and sometimes loss of function. Inflammation has three main functions: to destroy the agent causing injury, to limit the effects to the rest of the body, and repair or replace damaged tissue. Damaged cells release several chemicals such as histamines,prostaglandins, and leukotrienes. Certain components of the complement system can also cause the release of histamine. One function of this chemicals is vasodilation and increase in a diameter of blood vessels. Vasolilation results in more blood and more phagocytes, nutrients, or oxygen is delivered to the site of injury. So, the increased of blood flow results in redness, heat, swelling, and some of the pain associated with inflammation. The increase of blood flow release phagocyte migration such as monocytes and nuetrophils to the scene. The phagocytes stick to the walls of the blood vessels called migration. Then squeeze throught the gaps between cells in the process called diapedesis(emigration). Within an hour, phagocytes begin to destroy the invading microorganism by phagocytosis. After engulfing the microorganisms and damaged tissue, phagocytes die forming phagosome. The final stage of inflammation is tissue repair. The increased of nutrients and oxygen from vasodilation aids the tissue. Other components of the blood heals the injury as well. I chose this video clip because in class we covered inflammation and functions of it. So, this clip is knowleagable and it is a good reminder of what we covered in class.

URL LINK: http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/psaxena/MicrobiologyAnimations/Animations/Inflammation/PLAY_inflammation.html