During lecture on wound care, the instructor mentions the final stage of the cellular response of acute inflammation. Of the following statements, which describes what physiologically occurs in the final stage?

Question

A) Leukocytes accumulate and begin migration to the site of injury.
B) Chemokines direct the trafficking of leukocytes.
C) Mediators are transformed into inactive metabolites.
D) Neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages engulf and degrade the bacteria/cellular debris.

Answer 1

Ans: D
Feedback:
During the final stage of the cellular response, neutrophils, monocytes, and tissue macrophages are activated to engulf and degrade the bacteria and cellular debris in a process called phagocytosis. During the early stages of the inflammatory response, signaling between blood leukocytes and the endothelial cells defines the inflammatory event and ensures arrest of the leukocytes along the endothelium. This process of leukocyte accumulation is called margination. Once leukocytes exit the capillary, they crawl through the tissue guided by a gradient of secreted chemoattractants, such as chemokines, bacterial and cellular debris, and fragments generated from activation of the complement system. Chemokines are small proteins that direct the trafficking of leukocytes during the early stages of inflammation or injury. Once activated and released from the cell, most mediators are short-lived. They may be transformed into inactive metabolites, inactivated by enzymes, or otherwise scavenged or degraded.