These slides gives a general overview of the immunological defense system. It is primarily geared towards academic usage.

1. Presented by: Miss Sefakor Agbenyegah
MPhil Biochemistry
(4575215)http://www.was-ist-antiaging.de

2.  Study of biological mechanisms used by larger
organisms to protect themselves against invasion by
other organisms
 Immune – having a high degree of resistance to a
particular disease or infection
 Immune system – biological mechanism for
identification and elimination of pathogens in a
larger organism
02/05/2016
Sefakor Agbenyegah 2

3.  Physical, chemical and biological properties of an
organism which reduce its susceptibility to foreign
organisms/ materials
 Three lines of defense – First, second and third lines
 Generally classified under specific or non-specific
 Non-specific mechanisms repel all microbes equally
 Specific mechanisms are tailored for particular microbes
02/05/2016
Sefakor Agbenyegah 3

4. 02/05/2016
Sefakor Agbenyegah 4

5. 02/05/2016
Sefakor Agbenyegah 5www.glogster.com

6.  Mechanical – cilia, mucous membranes,
 Chemical – lysozyme, pH, lactate, defensins
 Biological – normal flora,
 Reflexes – vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing,
sneezing,
02/05/2016 Sefakor Agbenyegah 6

7.  Cellular counterattack – when first line is evaded
 Involves two major classes of defenses:
 Cellular defenses
 Molecular defenses
 Cellular defenses:
 Inflammation
 Phagocytosis
 Natural killer cells activity
 Fever
 Blood clotting
 Molecular defenses:
 Complement proteins
 Cytokines
02/05/2016
Sefakor Agbenyegah 7

8. Sefakor Agbenyegah 8
02/05/2016

9. 02/05/2016
Sefakor Agbenyegah
9

10.  Lymphocyte-like cells with granular cytoplasm
 Attack and phagocytize
 Already invaded cells
 Cancer cells
 FEVER: May be triggered in a large-scale infection
 Role of fever:
 inhibits microbial multiplication by reducing blood
levels of iron
 speeds up body repair processes
 High fevers may however be dangerous
02/05/2016 Sefakor Agbenyegah 10

11.  Cytokines
 Block viral replication using interferons
 trigger the inflammatory response
 elevation on the body temperature
 activate NK cells and macrophages
 Complement proteins
 About 30 different inactive proteins that circulate in the
blood
 produced by the liver
 Involved in opsonization
 Attract phagocytes by chemotaxis
 Promote inflammation
 Punch holes in membrane of bacteria
02/05/2016 Sefakor Agbenyegah 11

12.  Made up of cells and chemicals which attack specific
antigens
 An antigen is a protein molecule that provokes specific
immune response in the body
 May be antibody-mediated (humoral immunity) or
cell-mediated
 Involves lymphocytes, macrophages and dendritic
cells
 Slow response; Exposure results in immunologic
memory by T and B lymphocytes
02/05/2016
Sefakor Agbenyegah 12

13. Sefakor Agbenyegah 13

14.  Zabriskie, J. B., (2010). Essential clinical
immunology, Cambridge University Press, pp. 34-
40; 111
 Kim, Y. J., (2014). Autoimmunie diseases, A rising
epidemic, Medicine, pp 15-20
 Silverstein, A., (2001). Autoimmune diseases, Nat.
Immunol. 2, 279-281.
02/05/2016 Sefakor Agbenyegah 14

15. 02/05/2016 Sefakor Agbenyegah 15
THANK YOU