What is your blood made

of?
Biology30S
Blood is specialized bodily fluid that supplies
essential substances around the body, such as
sugars, oxygen and hormones.

Blood has 4 main components:

- Plasma
- Red Blood Cells
- White Blood Cells
- Platelets
Plasma
- Makes up 55 percent of blood
- Plasma is the fluid portion of blood
- Plasma is mostly water but also is made up of
- Carbon dioxide
- Glucose
- Hormones
- Proteins
- Mineral Salts
- Fats
- Vitamins
What is the role of Plasma?
The main job of the plasma is to transport
blood cells throughout your body along with
nutrients, waste products, antibodies, clotting
proteins, chemical messengers such as
hormones, and proteins that help maintain the
body’s fluid balance.
Red Blood Cells (Erythrocytes)
- Red blood cells make up approximately 41-44% of
blood
- Known for their bright red color
- They are shaped like slightly indented, flattened
disks and transport oxygen to and from the lungs
- Red blood cells contain a special protein called
hemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen from the
lungs to the rest of the body
Interesting Facts about Red Blood Cells
- The lifespan of a red blood cell is 4
months and they are replaced
regularly
- In a single drop of blood, there is
over 4 million red blood cells.
- They are very flexible which allows
them to move through small blood
vessels
Platelets (Thrombocytes)

- Platelets make up about 1% of your

blood
- Theses are not actually cells but
rather small fragments of cells.
- Platelets are involved in the blood
clotting process (coagulation) by
gathering at the site of an injury and
sticking to the lining of the injured
blood vessel, they create a platform
for clotting to occur on.
White Blood Cells (Leukocytes)
- White blood cells protect the
body from infection. They make
up about 1% of your blood.
- There are 3 major types of white
blood cells: Granulocytes,
Monocytes and Lymphocytes
- There are three different forms
of granulocytes
- Neutrophils
- Eosinophils
- Basophils
Granulocytes
Granulocytes are phagocytes, they are able to ingest foreign cells such as
bacteria, viruses and other parasites.

Granulocytes got their name because they have granules of enzymes within their
cells that aid in digestion of the invading microbes.

Granulocytes account for about 60% of our white blood cells.

 Neutrophils
- Neutrophils are the most prevalent of the
granulocytes. Each neutrophil cell can
ingest up to 5-20 bacteria in its lifetime.
Eosinophils
Eosinophils are involved in allergic
reactions and can attack multicellular
parasites such as worms.
Basophils
Basophils are also involved in allergic
reactions and are able to release histamine,
which helps trigger inflammation, and hepari,
which prevents blood from clotting.
Monocytes
Monocytes can develop into two types of cell:

- Dendritic cells are antigen-presenting cells

which are able to mark out cells that are
antigens (foreign bodies) that need to be
destroyed by lymphocytes.
- Macrophages are phagocytic cells which
are larger and live longer than neutrophils.
Macrophages are also able to act as
antigen-presenting cells.
Lymphocytes
- Lymphocytes are cells which help to
regulate the body’s immune system.
- The main types of lymphocytes are:
- B lymphocytes (B Cells)
- These release antibodies that bind to
infected microbes or cells of the body that
have been infected.
- T lymphocytes (T Cells)
- Act to control immune reactions and can
be activated to bind and kill infected cells
and cancer cells.
B
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Blood Typing Game - Accessed at this Link
https://educationalgames.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/bloodtypinggame/g
amev2/index.html
Think-Pair-Share 3 Questions Below
- When donating blood, there is screening that happens before you donate.
You have to meet certain parameters and be in good health before donating.
Why do you think we have to screen patients before they donate blood?

- There is also a limit to the frequency of donations one person is allowed in a

year. Why would we need to limit the amount and frequency of donations from
a healthy patient?

Think about these questions for 2 minutes, discuss with a partner for 2 minutes
and then we will discuss as a class.
Adapted from:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196001#structure

https://hematology.org/education/patients/blood-basics

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/body/white-blood-cells.html