IMMUNOLOGY

• COURSE CODE: BMD 303

• CREDIT: 2
• LECTURER:
DR. PAULINA AMPOMAH, (
pampomah@ucc.edu.gh)
 THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

A system of many biological structures and processes in an organism

that protect against disease.

Functions:
• Detect and respond to a wide variety of pathogens
(viruses, bacteria, protozoans, helminths)
• Distinguish between self and foreign molecules
• Prevent infection
• Eradicate established infections
• **Can injure cells and induce pathologic inflammation*

Immunology:
Study of the immune system’s responses to microbial pathogens
and damaged tissues, and its role in disease.
Immune Defense Mechanisms
Two main classes:
• Innate (Natural) immunity
• Adaptive (Acquired) immunity
 INNATE IMMUNITY
 Provides immediate, non-specific response
 Present in all normal organisms
 Receptors encoded in the germline
 no immunological memory
 Kills invading pathogens
 Unreactive to self molecules
 Activates the adaptive immune system
Includes 2 lines of defense:
i. Natural Barriers (Physical, mechanical, biochemical, biological)
ii. Immune regulatory mechanisms (Inflammation, complement, antiviral defense)
Physical Barriers:
• Prohibit the passage of microorganisms
• Protect against damage and infection
• Composed of tightly associated epithelial cells (skin,
gastrointestinal lining, genitourinary and respiratory tracts)

Mechanical Barriers:
• Vomiting
• urination
• coughing
• Sneezing
• peristalsis
Biochemical Barriers
• Lysozyme in sweat, tears, saliva, attack walls Gram+ bacteria
• Antibacterial/antifungal fatty acids and lactic acids in
sebaceous glands
• Defensins
• Cathelicidins
• Collectins

Biological Barriers:
• Normal flora
• Microbial antagonism

Innate Immune defense processes

• Phagocytosis
• inflammation
• complement
 Plasma Proteins systems
(clotting, kinin, complement)
• Proenzymes
• Cytokines (INFY, TNF, )
• Interleukins (IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8)

Cells of the Innate Immune system

• Natural Killer (NK) cells
• Neutrophils
• Macrophages
• Dendritic cells
• Mast cells
Receptors of the Innate immune system
• Pathogen Recognition Receptors (PRRs) detect Carbohydrates and lipids on
the surface of microbes, PAMPs and damaged tissues, DAMPs that are
different from humans

• PRRs (TLRs):
• Macrophages
• Dendritic cells
• Mast cells
Functions of PRR:
• Recognize microbial components
• Activate transcription factors to enhance synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines for
appropriate response

Microbial components
• Lipopolysaccharides (endotoxins) on Gram +ve and Gram-ve bacteria that
causes septic shock to produce proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, TNF)
• Polysaccharide (Mannan Binding Lectin) to activate complement and enhance
phagocytosis
• Cell wall (peptidoglycan) to respond to intracellular microbes
• Defensins to insert in bacterial wall for killing
• APOBEC3G to cause hypermutation in retroviral DNA to inactivate and reduce infection
 Inflammatory response- 2nd line of defense

Becomes activated during cell and tissue damage

Features:
• Depends on both cellular and chemical component activity
• Non specific
• Characterized redness, heat, swelling, pain

Causes of Injury:
• Infections
• Mechanical damage
• Oxygen deprivation (ischemia)
• Genetic or immune defects
• Nutrient deprivation
• Chemical agents
• Extreme temperatures
• Ionizing radiation
 Characteristic changes that occur in microvasculature:

• Vasodilation to increase blood flow to injured site

• Increased vascular permeability and leakage of fluid

• White blood cell adherence to vessel wall and migration to injury site

Importance of vascular changes

• Prevent infection and further damage through influx of fluid to dilute bacterial toxins

• Limit and control the inflammatory process through the influx of clotting systems,
plasma enzymes and cells

• Interact with the adaptive immune system to elicit more specific response

• Prepare the injured area for healing and repair through removal of bacterial products,
dead cells and other products of inflammation
 Reading assignment

Please read on the following immune cells.

• Neutrophils
• Monocytes and Macrophages
• Eosinophils
• Basophils
• Natural Killer cells
• Platelets
• Mast cells