How Inflammation Happens
There is smooth muscle tissue around the blood vessels of the body. When you are injured or have an infection, these smooth muscles contract and the flow of blood in the area becomes slower. When the flow of blood to an infected or injured part of the body is slowed, white blood cells start to stick to the capillary walls of the area. Endothelial cells are found in the walls of the small blood vessels (capillaries). The endothelial cells of the capillaries contract, which makes the capillary larger in diameter and more permeable. Molecules on the surface of the capillary endothelial cells attach to molecules (integrins) of the white blood cells. This makes the white blood cells flatten out. Once this happens, the white blood cells can squeeze through the capillary wall and into the surrounding tissue. The result is swelling or inflammation.
Kinins Destroyed
Kinins (polypeptide proteins) exist in the body and are linked to the contraction of the soft muscle tissue around capillaries. Meat tenderizers contain enzymes such as bromelain or papain. The bromelain and papain enzymes in meat tenderizer destroy the bonds between the atoms that make up the protein.
Swelling Is Reduced
Kinins are needed to make the soft tissue contract and to start the inflammation process. With the meat tenderizer effectively destroying the proteins around the soft muscle tissue, the soft muscle tissue doesn't contract. This means that the capillaries remain small and white blood cells are not pushed out into the surrounding tissues. As a result, inflammation doesn't occur because the proteins no longer exist that are needed to start the inflammation process.
Tags: blood cells, white blood, white blood cells, muscle tissue, soft muscle, soft muscle tissue