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Inate or Natural Immunity

1. The innate immune system provides the first line of defense against pathogens and includes physical and chemical barriers as well as circulating cells and proteins. 2. Key components are epithelial barriers, antimicrobial peptides, neutrophils and macrophages that phagocytose and kill microbes, and the complement system that opposes microbes. 3. Cytokines stimulate inflammation to combat infection while others control inflammation once the threat is removed.

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7 views

Inate or Natural Immunity

1. The innate immune system provides the first line of defense against pathogens and includes physical and chemical barriers as well as circulating cells and proteins. 2. Key components are epithelial barriers, antimicrobial peptides, neutrophils and macrophages that phagocytose and kill microbes, and the complement system that opposes microbes. 3. Cytokines stimulate inflammation to combat infection while others control inflammation once the threat is removed.

Uploaded by

YIKI ISAAC
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Innate or Natural Immunity

Buga Rudolf
Over view
The body has both ‘’innate’’ and ‘’adaptive’’
immune defenses
• Upon entry of the body by organisms, defense
system in place prevent replication and spread
of the infectious agents (no disease)
• Established mechanisms constitute innate
immune system
Overview…
• If the innate immune system fails to prevent
invasion, the adaptive immune system comes
into action but not efficiently (eliminates the
organisms)
o Specific memory is imprinted on the adaptive
immune system than the innate
• Soluble factors such as lysozyme and
complement together with the phagocytic cells
contribute to innate system
Overview…
• There is close synergy between the 2 systems
with adaptive immune mechanisms, greatly
improving the efficiency of the innate system
• Soluble factors, such as lysozyme and
complement together with the phagocytic cells
contribute to innate system
• Lymphocyte based mechanism that produce
Ab and T lymphocytes are the main element
of the adaptive immune system
Characteristics of the innate system
• Present from birth
• Non-specific, acts on many organisms and
does not show specificity
• Does not become more efficient on subsequent
exposure to same organisms
Against entry and body defenses
A variety of biochemical and physical barriers operate at the
body surface.
 Skin is impermeable to majority of infectious agent (tough &
dry)
 Inhibitory effects of lactic acid and fatty acids present in sweat
and sebaceous secretions and low pH
 Membranes lining inner surfaces, secrete mucous, act as a
protective barrier; prevent adherence of bacteria to epithelial
cells
 Note: Sites with mucous membranes (GIT, Respiratory tract,
Uro-genital tract, Eyes)
Against entry and body defenses
 Mucus trap microbial and other foreign particles
and removed by mechanical means: ciliary action,
coughing and sneezing
• Flushing action of tears, saliva and urine are other
mechanical strategies to protect epithelial surfaces
• Other secreted body fluids contain microbicidal
factors: gastric acid, lactoferrin, lacto-peroxidase
in milk, lysozyme in tears, nasal secretions and
saliva, spermide and zinc in semen
Against entry and body defenses…

• Microbial antagonisms associated with the


normal bacterial flora:
i. Denial of space for potential pathogens
(bacterial and fungal at superficial
atmosphere)
ii. Competition for essential nutrients
iii. Production of inhibitory substances, e.g.
acids and colicins (bactericidins)
Defenses Once the Microorganism
Penetrates the Body
Upon successfully entering the body, two main
defensive strategies come into play based on:
1. The destructive effect of soluble chemical factors
(e.g. bactericidal enzymes)
2. The mechanism of phagocytosis, involving
engulfment and killing of microorganisms by
specialized cells
NB: (Phagocytosis, complement activation,
inflammation and fever, C-reactive proteins and
interferons)
Defenses…

Professional phagocytes:
• Include the large macrophages, and the smaller
polymorphonuclear leucocytes (polymorphs or
neutrophils)
• Generally, PMNs provide major defense
against pyogenic (pus forming) bacteria, while
the macrophages are thought to be best at
killing intracellular organisms
Defenses…
Macrophages:
• Widely spread throughout the tissues
• Origin-bone marrow promonocytes, which
develop into circulating blood monocytes
• Then mature into macrophages and spread in
tissues, termed as mononuclear phagocytic
system
• Concentrated in lung (al.macrophages), liver
(kuppfer cells), and the lining of lymph node
medullary sinuses and splenic sinusoids
Defenses…

• Others are the brain microglia, kidney


mesangial cells, synovial A cells and
osteoclasts in bone
• Generally they are long lived cells, derive
energy from mitochondria
Polymorphs:
• Possess a variety of enzyme containing
granules
Defenses …
• Predominant leukocytes in the blood stream.
• Share a common haemopoietic stem cell
precursor with other cells
• Energy source from cytoplasmic glycogen
stores
• Short lived cells with segmented nucleus.
• Cytoplasm contain granules:
10 neurophilic granules contain myeloperoxidase,
some lysozyme and cationic proteins
Defenses…
20 specific granules – lactoferrin and lysozymes
30 granules – conventional lysosome with acid hydrolases
Phagocytosis - this process involves:
 Attachment of the microbe to the surface of cell
 Initiation of the ingestion phase, development of cytoplasm
arms around the particle, until enclosed in the
vacuole/phagosome
 Lysosome fusion with phagosome to form phagolysosome and
killing
Defenses …
• Release of microbial products.
The Killing process:
• Oxygen dependent phagocytic killing
• Various biochemical reactions can lead to the
formation of toxic oxygen compounds/ROIs:
H2O2, O2-, OH-, 1O2, HOCL and NO
• Enzymes involved are NADPH
oxidase,myeloperoxidase and superoxide
dismutase and catalase
Summary
Components of Innate Immunity
1. Barriers:
• Epithelial layers prevent microbial entry
• Antimicrobials defensins, cathelicidin, etc.
• Intraepithelial lymphocytes- microbial killing
2. Circulating effector cells:
• Neutrophils- early phagocytosis and killing of
microbes
• Macrophages – efficient phagocytosis & killing of
microbes, secretion of cytokines that stimulate
inflammation
Summary…
3. NK cells:
• Lysis of infected cells
• Activation of macrophages
4. Circulating effector proteins:
• Complement: killing microbes, opsonization of
microbes, activation of leucocytes
• Mannose-binding lectin(collect in)- opsonization
on microbes, activation of complement (lectin
pathway)
• C-reactive protein- opsonization of microbes,
activation of complement
Summary…
5. Cytokines:
• TNF, IL-1, Chemokines- inflammation
• IFN-α, β- Resistance to viral infection
• IFN-ϒ – macrophage activation
• IL-12 - IFN-ϒ production by NK cells and ϒ
cells
• IL – 15 – Proliferation of NK cells
• IL- 10, TGF- β – control of inflammation

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