Physiological effects of immunologically activated bioregulators
Publish date: 2012-12-27
Report number: FOI-R--3510--SE
Pages: 25
Written in: English
Keywords:
- Bioregulators; Arachidonic acid; Anaphylactic shock; Chemical
- Weapons Convention (CWC) and Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
- (BTWC)
Abstract
This report provides an overview of the current scientific knowledge on biological regulators that can induce diseases in the respiratory system and blood circulation. Over 40 years of intensive biomedical research has resulted in the identification of a large number of chemical substances produced by the body, with the function to regulate important physiological activities. Some of the functions of these regulators are evolutionarily developed to protect the body against invasion of microorganisms, for example by triggering immune responses, inflammatory reactions and repair of injured tissues. These chemical substances need to be tightly regulated to avoid excessive adverse responses. Overreactivity of some biological regulators may lead to harmful negative reactions in the respiratory system, due to contraction of the airways, while others may cause extensive blood coagulation and negative effects on blood pressure that may in the worst scenario contribute to circulatory collapse, such as anaphylactic shock. Because some of these bioregulators have shown high toxicity and even lethal effects, these chemical substances have received considerable attention in the work of improvement and interpretation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), in order to prevent the acquisition and use for hostile purposes.