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The respiratory burst is a biological phenomenon where cells release chemically reactive oxygen molecules, playing a role in the immune system and cell degradation. Researchers are interested in developing products to promote this function and studying how it contributes to disease processes.
The respiratory burst is a sudden release of chemically reactive oxygen molecules from cells within the body. This biological phenomenon plays a role in the immune system and can also be observed during the fertilization process of an egg. The behavior has been observed in many different cell types and is a topic of interest to researchers interested in developing new ways to support immune health. Additionally, it is being studied in research involving damage to nearby cells sometimes associated with a respiratory blast.
This process can be seen in action when a phagocyte destroys foreign material in the body. Phagocytes are specialized white blood cells designed to identify and engulf materials such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. As soon as the phagocyte has engulfed the invader, it can use a respiratory blast to detonate it, causing it to degrade and rupture. This neutralizes the foreign material and prevents it from spreading to other parts of the body.
Also known as an oxidative burst, the respiratory burst can be used to attack a wide variety of unwanted organisms in the body. In the process of attacking with reactive oxygen molecules, the targeted material undergoes oxidation, which degrades its genetic material and kills it. The highly effective cell degradation achieved with a respiratory burst can also work against the body, however, when nearby healthy cells are exposed. Oxygen molecules are unable to distinguish between friend and foe and oxidize the cells they come in contact with.
Some pharmaceutical researchers are interested in developing products to promote and exploit the respiratory burst function in the immune system. These products could be used to help the immune system fight disease more effectively. Instead of prescribing drugs commonly associated with side effects caused by collateral damage, doctors could use a patient’s immune system to fight off an infection and destroy unwanted viruses and bacteria.
The respiratory burst is also being studied by researchers interested in finding out how cells within the body are damaged by reactive oxygen molecules. Oxidative stress is known to contribute to a number of disease processes. Understanding how these molecules are formed and under what circumstances can help researchers address and prevent oxidative stress. Many cardiovascular diseases in particular have been linked to oxidative stress, and as these conditions are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in many regions, finding new ways to combat them could be hugely beneficial to the medical community.
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