BIOCHEMISTRY

TRANS / [BLOOD] chapter 9

FUNCTIONS OF BLOOD
BLOOD 1. Transport products of digestion
● Aqueous-based solution 2. Transport waste products of
● Plays an essential role in the tissue metabolism
distribution of cells, proteins, 3. Transport oxygen
nutrients, gasses and many other 4. Transport endocrine secretions
biological materials throughout 5. Regulate acid-base balance
organisms. 6. Regulate fluid balance
● Each of us has 5-6 liters of the 7. Regulate the body temperature
complex solution coursing through 8. Protect body against infection
our arteries and veins. 9. Prevent hemorrhage
● Blood may be separated into its two
parts by centrifugation.
● The sediment is composed of three
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
types of blood cells: erythrocytes,
leukocytes, and platelets ● Quantity/Volume
(thrombocytes). ○ 6-8% or ⅓ of the total body
● The supernatant, the liquid portion weight or 60-80 milliliter per
called blood plasma, kilogram body weight.
○ A solution consisting of ● Color
approximately 90% water and ○ Oxygenated blood is scarlet
10% dissolved solutes red
■ Such as plasma ○ Deoxygenated blood is dull
proteins, glucose, red
hormones, ● pH
cholesterol, vitamins, ○ 7.35 - 7.45, classified as
inorganic ions, and slightly alkaline
many other ● Specific gravity
biomolecules. ○ 1.060
● The most useful method for
diagnosis of diseases COMPOSITION
○ collection of blood samples
from an individual and clinical 1. Plasma
analysis of changes in the ● Constitutes about 55%
biochemical components ● The blood corpuscles about 45%
● Blood plasma is made up of 90-92%
water and 8-10% solutes, and these
are the following:

BIOCHEMISTRY GIDELINE A. ONDE

 a. Plasma proteins ■ Acetone,
■ Serves as nutrition for hydroxybutyric acid
other tissues of the
body. g. Bile acids
■ Contribute to the h. Inorganic constituents
viscosity of the blood. ■ Present in the amount
■ Help in the of 9-11 mg/100 mL of
maintenance of the blood
normal acid-base ■ Ca, Mg, Na, chlorides,
balance. K, phosphates,
■ Provide antibodies sulfates
■ Exert an osmotic
effect i. enzymes
■ Phosphatase,
b. Non-protein nitrogenous amylase, lipase,
substances (NPN transaminase
substances)
■ Intermediary 2. Plasma
metabolites and a. Erythrocytes or red blood
present to the amount corpuscles
of 25-35 mg/100mL of ■ Biconcave disks
blood. devoid of nucleus
■ Include urea, ■ Normally present to
creatinine, uric acid, the amount of
amino acid, ammonia, 4-6M/mm^3
bile pigments. ■ Most important
constituent is
c. Carbohydrates and related hemoglobin,
substances ● Made up of
■ Glucose (80-120 heme and
mg/100 mL of blood) globin; has a
■ Pentose (2-3 normal value
mg/100mL of blood) of 14-16
grams/1oomL
d. Blood lipids of blood.
■ Fats, phospholipids, b. Leukocytes or white blood
cholesterol corpuscles
■ Soldiers of the body
e. immunoglobulins ■ Normally present to
■ Antibodies present in the amount of
blood 4000-11000/cubic and
agranulocytes
f. Ketone bodies

BIOCHEMISTRY GIDELINE A. ONDE

 c. Thrombocytes or platelets
■ 250000-500000/cubic
mm
■ Responsible for blood
clotting, which has two
main steps:
● 1) activation of
prothrombin
into thrombin
and
● 2) conversion
of fibrinogen
into fibrin
Composition of blood
● When blood is transferred to
a test tube and is prevented
from clotting, it forms two
layers.
● The transparent yellow top
layer is plasma, the liquid
portion of blood.
● The formed elements are in
the bottom layer
BIOCHEMISTRY
BUFFERS IN BLOOD
● The major buffer system of blood
and other fluids is the carbonic
acid-bicarbonate conjugate pair.
● A base added to blood would be
neutralize by the following
reactions:
● The addition of an acidic
substance to blood also results in
neutralization:
● These reactions illustrate how
blood is protected against pH
changes.
● The actual pH of blood is at the
upper limit of the buffering range
of carbonic acid-bicarbonate and
may not seem as efficient as
desired.
● This inefficiency is remedied by a
reserve supply of gaseous CO2 in
the lungs,
○ Which can replenish
H2CO3 in the blood
by the following
series of equilibrium
reactions.
● The reactions also work in reverse
● A major product of metabolism, H+,
is removed from cells by the blood
plasma.
● It is neutralized by reaction wtih
carbonate ion and leads to eventual
release of CO2(g)
○ Which is exhaled from the
lungs.
GIDELINE A. ONDE
 ● The carbonic acid-bicarbonate
conjugate pair is the most important
buffer system in biological fluids
○ However, it is not the only
one.
● A diverse array of amino acids ,
peptides, and proteins with ionizable
functional groups (-COOH and
NH3+) assist in buffering.
● A major protein constituent of blood,
hemoglobin also serves as a
buffering agent.
● Medical conditions caused by
changes in blood pH are acidosis
and alkalosis.
● An increas in the [H+] of blood
(acidosis) may have causes
○ That are of metabolic or
respiratory origin.
● Metabolic acidosis occurs in
individuals with untreated diabetes
or in those on starvation diets or on
highprotein, low-fat diets.
● All of these metabolic conditions
lead to ketosis,
○ The excessive generation of
ketone bodies, which are
acidic and increase the [H+]
of blood.
● Respiratory acidosis is caused by a
change in [CO2] that is often a
symptom of pulmonary problems
associated with emphysema or
asthma.
○ Untreated acidosis leads to
coma and eventually death.
● An increase in blood pH (alkalosis)
also has metabolic or respiratory
origins.
● Clinical administration of the salts of
metabolic acids (sodium lactate or
sodium bicarbonate) in excessive
amounts or cases of severe
vomiting cause metabolic alkalosis.
BIOCHEMISTRY
● Respiratory alkalosis is induced by
hyperventilation (heavy breathing)
○ Which may result from
hysteria, anxiety, or altitude
sickness.
ABO BLOOD TYPE
● All humans and many other primates
can be typed for the ABO blood
group.
● There are four principal types: A, B,
AB, and O
○ There are two antigens and
two antibodies that are mostly
responsible for the ABO
types.
○ The specific combination of
these four components
determines an individual’s
type in most cases.
● The table below shows the possible
permutations of antigens and
antibodies with the corresponding
ABO type (“yes” indicates the
presence of a component and “no”
indicates its absence in the blood of
an individual)
● For example, people with tyoes A
blood will have the A antigen on the
surface of their red cells.
○ As a result, anti-A antibodies
will not be produced by them
because they would cause
the destruction of their own
blood.
GIDELINE A. ONDE
 ○ However, if B type blood is
injected into their systems,
anti-B antibodies in their
plasma will recognixe it as
an alien and burst or
agglutinate the introduced
red cells in order to cleanse
the blood of alien protein.
● Individuals with typee O blood do
not produce ABO antigens.
○ Therefore, their blood
normally will not be rejected
when it is given to others
with different ABO types.
○ As a result, type O people
are universal donors for
transfusions, but they can
receive only type O blood
themselves.
○ Those who have type AB
blood do not make any ABO
antibodies.
■ Their blood does not
discriminate against
any other ABO type.
■ Consequently they
are universal
receivers for
transfusions, but their
blood will be
agglutinated when
given to people with
every other type
because they
produce both kinds of
antigens.

BIOCHEMISTRY GIDELINE A. ONDE