In this video, we're going to talk a little bit about how the inflammatory response can sometimes cause damage to the host. An inflammatory response can sometimes cause unintended accidental damage to the host in multiple ways. Recall from our previous lesson videos where we covered inflammation in more detail that during inflammation, neutrophils and other phagocytic cells like macrophages can be recruited to the site of infection. When a phagocytic cell such as the macrophage performs phagocytosis and brings in microbes, it starts to destroy and break down these microbes, and then it releases those microbes, a lot of times when it releases the end product, there could be several different types of chemicals, bacterial enzymes, toxins, perhaps exotoxins that can be released, and perhaps endotoxins as well. These released substances could potentially cause damage to the surrounding tissues. In this image, we're showing you bacterial enzymes or bacterial toxins, again, being released. These released substances can cause damage. This damage here is associated with the inflammatory response because these macrophages are recruited to the site of infection during the inflammatory response.
Inflammation specifically in the lungs can cause the capillaries of the lungs to leak fluids, and those fluids can collect and build up over time and can interfere with oxygen-carbon dioxide gas exchange. Basically, it's interfering with the function of the lungs and affecting your ability to breathe. In this image, down below, notice that we're showing a person's lungs here. These lungs are indeed infected and may undergo inflammation. Inflammation in the lungs can lead to a liquid build-up in the lungs as you see here. This liquid build-up in the lungs, due to inflammation, can inhibit oxygen-carbon dioxide gas exchange. This inhibited gas exchange can interfere with your ability to breathe and inhibit the function of your lungs, which could be, of course, very dangerous. This could be something that occurs as a result of bacterial pneumonia. This here concludes our brief lesson on how the inflammatory response can cause damage to the host unintentionally, again through performing its normal function but then releasing chemicals, bacterial enzymes, or toxins that can cause damage to the surrounding tissues. We'll be able to learn more about this and get some practice applying these concepts as we move forward. So I'll see you all in our next video.
