Many different circumstances can cause cell injury such as being exposed to injurious stimuli, not getting the correct amount of nutrients, or being affected by an unknown outsider. There are three common forms of cell injury that occur; hypoxic injury, free radicals and reactive oxygen species injury, and chemical injury. Cells must maintain homeostasis in order to function as they are supposed to. It is important that we understand these various forms in order to understand why disease is caused.
Hypoxic Injury
Hypoxia is the state in which there is an insufficient amount of oxygen getting to the tissues which is the most common cause of injury to the cell. Hypoxia can come in the form of an insufficient amount of blood supply (ischemia) which, in turn, causes an insufficient amount of oxygen to the body. It is seen that ATP becomes insufficiently produced with hypoxia and this is why ATP depletion is a common theme in cell injury or death. It is very important that
…show more content…
If a cell is being exposed to toxins, the plasma membrane may become unselectively permeable which will allow anything to enter and leave the cell body. Without its selectively permeably cell membrane, the cell will be exposed to any harmful outside source and this will bring injury or death to the cell body. Toxins such as ethanol, lead and mercury can all cause damage to cells in this way. Ethanol, for example, is a commonly abused drug which negatively effects tissues and leads to an insufficient amount of nutrition.
It is important to look at the causes of cell injury because this shows us how and why people end up with certain diseases. The body must maintain homeostasis at a microscopic level in order to function properly at the macroscopic level. We have seen that there are many ways for cells to be injured and how important it is to help our bodies maintain