Components of Characteristics Quantity
A. Summary of the Blood Components
Blood
Plasma -composed of mostly water -makes up about 55% of total
(90% by volume) plus dissolved blood volume
proteins, glucose, clotting
factors, mineral ions, hormones
and carbon dioxide
Red Blood Cells -most abundant cell in the blood
(Erythrocytes) -no nucleus and can easily
change shape
-survives on average only 120
days
contain a special protein called
hemoglobin
Platelets -platelets are not actually cells
(Thromobocytes) but rather small fragments of
cell
-no cell nucleus
-40% - 45% of its volume
-platelet count ranges from
150,000 to 450,000 platelets per
microliter of blood
-they make up just a tiny
fraction of the blood volume
Structure
-yellow in color
-liquid portion of the blood
-bright red color
-biconcave disk with a flattened
center
-the smallest of the three major
types of blood cells
-are only about 20% of the
diameter of red blood cells
Function
-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.
-maintaining blood pressure.
-supplies critical proteins for
blood clotting and immunity.
-helps carry oxygen from the
lungs to the rest of the body and
then returns carbon dioxide
from the body to the lungs so it
can be exhaled
-help the blood clotting process
(or coagulation) by gathering at
the site of an injury, sticking to
the lining of the injured blood
vessel, and forming a platform
on which blood coagulation can
occur
Origin
-no organ produces it
-it is formed from water and salts
absorbed from the digestive tract
-production of red blood cells is
controlled by erythropoietin, a
hormone produced primarily by the
kidneys. Red blood cells start as
immature cells in the bone marrow
and after approximately seven days
of maturation are released into the
bloodstream.
-develop from hematopoietic stem
cells and are formed in the bone
marrow through the highly regulated
process of hematopoiesis
-platelets are produced during
hematopoiesis in a sub-process
called thromopoiesis, or production
of thrombocytes. Thrombopoiesis
occurs from common myeloid
progenitor cells in the bone marrow,
which differentiate into
promegakaryocytes and then into
megakaryocytes
 White Blood -largest blood cell and can move -much fewer in number than red -these cells are colorless -protect the body from infection -also, white blood cells develop
Cells by sticking out one part of their blood cells, accounting for -the "soldiers" of the blood, from hematopoietic stem cells and
(Leukocytes) body and dragging the rest of about 1 percent of your blood attacking bacteria and other are formed in the bone marrow
themself along invaders unfamiliar to the body through the highly regulated process
- able to squeeze through tiny of hematopoiesis
blood vessels, leaving the -most white blood cells are
bloodstream to enter other manufactured in the red marrow of
tissues that are being attacked bones. Some are also made in
by foreign invaders special glands elsewhere in the body
There are five types of white blood cells. They are neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes. These five types are in two main groups: The Granulocytes and The Mononuclear Cells.
Granulocytes
Neutrophils make up the majority of the total white blood cells in a normal person's blood. Of the total white blood cells, there are usually 50-70 percent neutrophils. A mature neutrophil has a segmented nucleus and
is twice the size of a red blood cell. A segmented nucleus means that you can see two to five segments (aka- lobes) of nucleus in one cell.

Eosinophils are also granulocytes...so they have granules, too. Their granules are different from neutrophil granules, though. The suffix "phil" means "to love". Eosin is a type of acid red dye. Therefore, eosinophils
love eosin dye. They grab onto lots of eosin dye when they're stained, making their large granules a red color. The granules in an eosinophil usually cover the nucleus, but sometimes you can see that the nucleus is
segmented. Eosinophils are not as common in the blood as neutrophils. They're usually less than three percent of a person's total white blood cells. Unless you have allergies.....then they come out to fight! Depending
on the severity of the allergic reaction, they can be in much higher percentages. Although their primary job is to be involved in allergic reactions, eosinophils are also increased when a person has a parasite. For
example, a person with a tapeworm in their digestive tract will have an elevated eosinophil count.

Basophils, the last and least (in number) of the granulocytes. They are present as one percent or less of a person's white blood cells. Just like the eosinophils, basophils love dye. But, basophils love "basic blue" dye.
Therefore, their large granules are a deep blue-purple color. Their nucleus is also segmented, but it's hard to see in the presence of those intense granules.

Mononuclear Cells (this means their nucleus is in one piece)

Lymphocytes are the main cells in the lymph nodes. There are almost as many lymphocytes as neutrophils in the blood. Lymphocytes are special because they can become "memory cells". When doctors talk about a
person being "immune", they are referring to the ability of that person's lymphocytes to remember a foreign invader. When a person is exposed to a new infectious agent, some of their lymphocytes make antibodies
against it. The rest of the lymphocytes remember that infectious agent and get the immune system working faster the next time a person is exposed to that infectious agent. Very young children have more lymphocytes
than adults because they are developing immunity to the many new infectious agents around them. Lymphocytes make up 20-40 percent of an adult's total white blood cells.

Monocytes serve as part of the defense against infection by "eating" up foreign particles. When a monocyte is found in tissue, it is called a macrophage.
Monocytes are large cells- three to four times the size of a red blood cell! However, there are not too many in the bloodstream. In a normal person, there are one to six percent monocytes. Monocytes can be difficult to
differentiate from lymphocytes. Monocytes usually have a larger amount of cytoplasm in relation to the size of the nucleus. They are also usually more irregular in shape than the smooth lymphocytes. You can
sometimes see "pseudopods" on monocytes, the "fake feet" that help it move and digest foreign particles. The cytoplasm of a monocyte is a dull blue-gray color. Even though they are not granulocytes, monocytes
have granules! They are very fine and lightly stained, giving the monocyte cytoplasm a "ground-glass" appearance. You may also see vacuoles. These look like holes in the cytoplasm. When a monocyte has vacuoles,
you know it has been hard at work. The vacuoles contain chemicals that digest the foreign particles. The nucleus of the monocyte is usually kidney-shaped and has brain-like convolutions (ie- the nucleus looks like it's
folded).