This report reviews the basic function of your immune system and how it can fail. The results can be catastrophic. To understand the immune system I’ve used an analogy of a military defense system. The human immune defense system contains two major elements, the innate and adaptive. The inherent part is so named because it’s an overall defense system. It’s not technical or specific but is composed of fundamental defenses such as barriers, guard cells and an alarm system.
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The elastic component can also be aptly named because it develops or adapts over time as a more technical and specific reaction. The innate immune response is the automatic defense mechanism against possible foreign invaders such as germs, viruses, parasites or molds. It’s analogous to defensive barriers, guards and alarms meant to protect or shield us as a society. Such defensive barriers around our boundaries or websites of value to us might include protective walls, electric fences, locked doors, security guards and automatic alarm systems.
Such systems may include automatic movement activated alarm and lighting systems, and low level security guards. This defense though highly effective for many threats, isn’t very specific, highly trained or deadly against serious threats. Additionally, it can be deciphered or breached easily though it might be connected to an alarm system that can signal for support. Therefore, we want the protection of highly trained and specific defenses of the adaptive immune reaction.
Innate immunity
With the capacity of the innate system to signal for help and the elastic systems capacity to grow over time highly trained and specialized cells and cells our body has a better defense against various ailments and diseases. In out civilization, our elastic protective system includes specially trained police or army such as SWAT teams, green berets, and the delta force. These forces are mobilized if there’s an alert or request for highly trained and specialized protection or defense.
Though they may simply detain or include a threat they have the capacity to mobilize a deadly force when necessary. However, with this amount of force or power available, innocent bystanders could be hurt or killed if there’s poor communication or identification of risks or possible invaders. This is the way the adaptive immune response functions.
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Our innate immune defense reaction is then automatic and a nonspecific system. It is made up of the barriers like the skin and the intact intestinal wall of the digestive tract. The whole intestinal wall is very similar to a wall or fence. It’s patrolled by certain immune cells that are similar to security guards or rent-a-cops, protecting the entire body. Including white blood cells circulating in the blood or within the intestinal lining. Circulating white blood cells typically include cells called neutrophils, eosinophils, and natural killer T lymphocytes.
Lining the intestinal wall (skin and respiratory tract) are additional white blood cells and immune cells such as basophils, dendritic cells, phagocytes and macrophages. In the intestine white blood cells found in little numbers might be mobilized into the area for certain threats. These include eosinophils, mast cells and neutrophils. The intestinal lining is normally a complete barrier except when indicated to permit some larger particles through such as particular proteins or other nutrients.
Epithelial cells
The intestinal tract lining has a single layer of cells of the epithelial cell type. These cells are joined tightly, shoulder to shoulder, through a scaffolding of proteins, like occludens. These tight junctions can open up on sign, from proteins like zonulin. Certain normal signals permit the introduction of the openings between the lining cells, the paracellular spaces, or reduce the tight junctions leading to increase intestinal permeability transiently. However, abnormal stimulation can trigger opening of the tight junctions leading to increased intestinal permeability or leaky gut.
When tight junctions open up walls of the intestine may become abnormally permeable or leaky letting it be penetrated by foreign proteins such as bacteria, viruses, molds, parasites and complete food proteins or lectins. Impairment of gut wall integrity or barrier function is an abnormal innate immune defense. It’s similar to an insecure border, wall or fence. Various immune cells of the innate response can release chemicals to include or destroy invaders if they’re near the region of a diminished barrier or they realize that an invader is trying to get through like a border patrol or roving security guard. Some of the tissue established immune cells destroy the invaders by actually eating them (phagocytes, ingesting cells and macrophages, big eating cells).
They also have the ability to clean up leftover debris and promote recovery in a nonspecific way. The elastic response is one which is highly developed and specialized (trained) in people. It’s a memory. When coupled with alarm systems in the innate immune system, a quick, specific, and directed immune response that’s also quite powerful can be activated or triggered.
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However, when such a system is triggered, it may also cause serious collateral damage to the surrounding cells and tissues. If the response bogs down and can’t deactivate itself an ongoing autoimmune condition with no exit strategy can lead to. This can lead to chronic injury to the cells and cells that is characteristic of what we understand as autoimmune disorder. The adaptive response involves the development of specific antibodies or immunoglobulin (IgE, IgM, IgG, IgD, IgA) to infectious agents and proteins that the body recognizes as foreign (antigens). Sometimes the body misinterprets or errors self-proteins or cells as foreign.
When antibodies are created against self-proteins they’re called autoantibodies. Examples include antinuclear antibodies (ANA) of lupus and rheumatoid factors or antibodies of rheumatoid arthritis. The result is these traditional autoimmune disorders. The adaptive immune system also has specialized activated lymphocytes: natural killer T cells, T helper lymphocyte cells, and gamma delta lymphocytes. The latter can also be a part of innate immune system. Tiny brief lived cell known as the plasma cell phone are also part of the elastic system. Because the elastic system has a memory, and is highly trained for future expected attacks it can boost its response with time. That makes the elastic system highly effective in protecting us against foreign invaders like serious infections but also highly dangerous to us if it becomes activated against our own cells or tissues.
Conclusão
The analogies used should help you better understand how our immune system works and how it can fail. Additionally, it helps explain how we could create autoimmune diseases, new abnormal reactions to foreign proteins such as meals leading to food allergies or sensitivities and how an abnormal gut obstruction or leaky gut may be harmful. Certain good bacteria living in our gut really help preserve our intestinal wall barrier function, act as antibiotics killing bad bacteria and inhibit other yeast and bacteria from taking over our system.
