Damage and Repair Mechanisms of Cells and Tissues Essay Example for Free

Damage and Repair Mechanisms of Cells and Tissues Essay Observation of the cells is something that modern biology has given an advantage of. Irritation of the cell can give critical information about the cell cycle, the damage on the DNA and its repair mechanism, and what will happen to the cell. In turn, since the cell is the basic unit of tissues, understanding cell damage can lead to understanding the fate of tissues composed of these same cells. Much damage to the cell can cause its death, and this can cause serious damage to the tissue, the organ, the organ system, and the organism itself. In connection to this, the study of cell damage is interplayed with discussion on biochemical toxicity, which just says that cell damage is corresponded by chemical damage which concerns a specific chemical in the cell, or a physical damage. A cell can be physically damaged through exposure to heat and radiation that are reasons for coagulation of its contents. Another damaging factor is the deprivation of supply of oxygen and glucose into the cell that may limit its survival because of its inability to maintain its processes without these agents (Monson, 2007). The damage on cells is usually because of toxic effects studied in xenobiotics, and usually the damage on the cells is not obvious. What happens in this case is (1) interference on the chemical that transfers signals across a neural synapse or (2) replacement of an essential chemical in the cells/tissues by toxic chemicals (Monson, 2007). It becomes obvious when involved are many cells comprising the tissue, which is visible to the naked eye. Necrosis is the process wherein the structural processes in the cytoplasm are progressive into failure. This either occurs in a group of contiguous cells or is also affective to tissue level. Continuous failure to function and deterioration of structure lead to the death of the cells or what is termed as the necrotic cells. Failure of the cytoplasmic processes is because of the reduced production of cellular proteins, electrolyte gradient changes, and membrane integrity losses. Following this process would be the apoptosis or the programmed cell death wherein it resorts to self destruction and in turn, regeneration. This process does not only happen in a single cell but scatters or spreads throughout the tissue. This is also a normal process wherein cell undergoes rebirth after it has consumed its lifespan. The organelles at this part of the process appear normal (Monsoon, 2007). The human body is very complex that it contains over 200 unique cell types with corresponding same amount of tissues, and with these figures are thousands of biochemicals that also act in complex mechanisms in order to fix the damages and keep the proper body functions correctly. Epithelial tissues repair themselves, and there are still some tissue types that are capable of doing it. The nervous tissues on the other hand are of the inability to conduct the same process. There are organs that in spite of damages still functional or which have functional reserve capacity (Monson, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most of the cycles of damage and repair happen among individual cells. In order to repair a tissue, there might be a large number of specific cells needed to successfully heal tissue damage. There are technologies serving this purpose, such as the adult stem cell technology that helps in providing the needed cells to proceed on repairing the damage. This is a venue for many applications that would lead to medical breakthroughs when explored. Its mechanism is highly sophisticated, since cells from other parts of the body become a nucleus for other cells to grow, and then repair back what has been impaired. The bone marrow contains much of stem cells needed for this kind of mechanism. There is only about 0.1% of the whole body’s stem cells that travel along the blood pathways. Once a body part is damaged, the corporeal blood shall circulate around the damaged part until a specific concentration of the stem cells is achieved on that part (Galloway, 2003). Some of the repair processes are spontaneous; some need medical attention to promote or to activate the healing process. It is important to give the body the highest possible care to avoid cells and tissue damages. Proper diet and exercise could be a lot of help to make the most out of the bodily functions, to stay healthy and out of illnesses and diseases. References Galloway, D. (2003). New Research Promotes a More Dynamic View of Adult Stem Cell Differentiation: Hematopoietic Stem Cells May One Day Be Used to Repair Tissue Damage Caused by Radiation Therapy or Chemotherapy OncoLog, 48(9). Monson, E. (2007). Cell damage from toxicity and tissue repair. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Cell_damage_from_toxicity_and_tissue_repair