Respiration

 Internal and external respiration :

o Internal respiration (cellular respiration) to the use of oxygen within the
mitochondria to generate ATP by oxidative phosphorylation an the
production of carbon dioxide as a waste product.
o External respiration refers to the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide
between the atmosphere and body tissues
 Involves both circulatory and respiratory systems

 External respiration has four processes

o Pulmonary ventilation ; THE MOVEMENT OF AIR INNTO THE LUNGS AND OUT
OF THE LUNGS BY BULK FLOW
o Exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the lung air spaces and
blood by diffusion
o Transportation of oxygen and carbon dioxide between lungs and body issues
by the blood.
o Exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the blood and tissues by
diffusion

 Anatomy of the RS :
o Lungs locations are 3 lobes right and 2 lobes left
o Upper airways : air passages in in the head and neck
 Nasal cavity or oral cavity
 Pharyxnx : this is a muscular tube for both food or air
 Respiratory tract “: can be divided into two different component
o Conducting zone : the upperpart of the respiratory tract – from the larynx to
the lungs
o Respiratory zone : the lower most part of the respiratory tract
 Contains the site of gas exchange

o Difference : whether gas exchange happens in the thickness of the walls

surrounding air spaces; only air spaces with suffiently thin walls can
participate in gas exchange.

 Conducting zone structure :

o Larynx : a tube held open by cartilage in its walls
o Trachea : a tube 2.5 cm in diameter and 10 cm long
o Bronchi : tranchea divides into the left and right bronchi
 Divides into smaller tubes called secondary bronch : conduct airto the
lobes of the right lung
 Divides again into tertiary bronchi
 Divides into the smallest bronchi called terminal bronchies
 Less than 1mm called bronchioles
o The conducting zone holds approximately 150 ml air
 Considered a dead space
 It the air doesn’t participate in gas exchange
 o The temperature is adjusted to the body temperature and humidified to keep
the respiratory tract moist.
 The conducting zone is lined by the epithelium
o It changes composition as the tubules become smaller in diameter
o It lines the trachea and the larynx and too small extent the bronchioles
o Lining contains numerous goblet cells and ciliated cells
 Goblet cells: secrete viscous fluid called mucus
 Mucus coats airways and trap foreign particles in inhaled air
o Cilated cells propel the mucus containing the trapped particles up towards
the glottis and than into the pharynx
 Place where the mucus is swallowed (pharynx)
 Process is called mucus escalator
 This is to clear the airways

o Respiratory zone ; the site of gas exchange

o After the site where the terminal bronchioles branch

o Respiratory structure :
o Starts with the respiratory bronchioles : terminat in the alveoli ducts
o Alveoli ; site where gas exchange happens
o Alveoli sacs ; most of the alveoli is organised here
o Alveoli :
o Are not independent structures
o Connected to alveoli pores
o Air flows through alveoli, allowing equilibration happen within the lungs
o The structure facilitates diffusion of gases between blood and air
o Wall consist of primarily of a single layer of epithelial cells
 Called type 1 alveolar cells
 Overlying a basement membrane
o The capillary and alveolar walls form a barrier called respiratory membrane
 This separate air from blood
 The thinnes is 0.2 micro meter
 Is essential for gas exchange
o Alveolar macrophages
 Engulf foreign particles and pathogen
 These cells roam around freely in the alveoli
 By amoeboid movements
 Dead macrophages move into the conducting zone where the mucus
escalator carries the macrophages to the pharynx so they can be
swallowed.

o Thoracic cavity : where the lungs are located

o Structure :
 Chest wall : protects the lungs
 Rib cage
 Breast bone
 Thoracic vertebrae
  Muscles of the chest wall (responsible for breathing)
 The internal intercostals and the external costal ( shaped as a
diaphragm
o Speparates the thoracic cavities and the abdominal
cavities
 The interior surface of the chest wall is lined by the membrane
pleura
o Pleura is composed of a layer of epithelial cells
o Each lung is surrounded by a separate pleura sac
 The site attached to the pleura sac is called the
visceral pleura
 The site attached to the chest wall is called
parietal pleura
 The space between is called the internal pleura

o Pulmonary pressure :
o The volume of the air in the lungs between breaths is called the Functional
residual capacity
 when the lungs are at the FRC all forces across the lungs and the chest
are balanced
 system is in ready state
 At rest its equal to the atmospheric pressure
o Atmospheric pressure: the pressure of the outside air
 Normally 760mm hg
o Intra- alveolar pressure : the pressure of air within the alveoli
 when it exceed, expiration occurs
o Intrapleural pressure : pressure inside pleural space
 A negative pressure in the intraplural space

o The lungs and the chest wall are both elastic and tend to recoil back to their normal
position
o At rest the chest wall is compressed but the lungs are stretched
o The intrapleural fluids keeps the parietal pleura and the visceral pleura from pulling
apart.
o The chest wall pulls outward on the intrapleural space while the lungs pull inwards.
o To maintain the negative intrapleural pressure the pleuralsac must be airtight

o The lungs recoil and collapse ; condition called pneumothorax

o Air in the intrapleural sacs
o Transpulmonary pressure : is the difference between intrapleural pressure and intra
alveolar pressure

Mechanism of breathing
o Air flow is driven by pressure gradients
o The relationship between airflow and volume follows the boyles law
o If the volume increases the the pressure decreases
o Inspiration :
o Initiated by neural stimulation
o The skeletal muscles are stimulated by the release of acetylcholine at the
neuromuscular junction
o Contraction of the diaphragm causes it to flatten and move downward
o Increases the volume of the thoracic cavity
o As the cell wall expands, it pulls outward on the pleura causing the
intrapleural to decrease
 This makes the transpulmonary pressure increase
 Creates a larger dustendiung pressure accros the lungs

o Expiration :
o Passive process
o Does not need muscle contraction
o Relaxing the muscles happen when motor neurons stop firing
o It goes back to it resting position
o As the chest wall and the lungs recoil the volume of the lungs decreases
 This causes the alveolar pressure to increase to value bigger than the
atmospheric pressure
o Air flows out ( expiration happens
 This happens until the lungs are equal to the FRC
o Forceful activation is called active expiration
 Can be produced by contraction of the expiratory muscles
 It produces greater and more rapid decrease in the volume of the
thoracic cavity
 This increases intra alveolar pressure and causes greater
pressure gradient for air to flow out of the alveoli
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