5/2/2023

Blood

What is blood?
• Blood is a liquid tissue
• Made up of many cells

• Colour range:
• Oxygen-rich blood is scarlet red
• Oxygen-poor blood is dull red

• pH must remain between 7.35-7.45

• Blood temperature is slightly higher than body temperature

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There are 3 major functions of blood

1. Transportation
• Circulates in the heart, arteries,
capillaries and veins
• Transports:
• respiratory gases (O2 and CO2),
• nutrients
• waste
• hormones
• many other things

2. Regulation
• Temperature (blood contains heat)
• Water volume
• pH (to keep body at a constant 7.4)

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3. Protection
• Blood clotting – protects against blood loss after injury
• White blood cells protect against disease (e.g. produce antibodies)

White blood cell engulfing bacteria – ENDOCYTOSIS!!

What makes up blood?

• Blood is composed of two components:
1. Non Cellular - Plasma (liquid)
2. Cellular – Blood cells and cell fragments (solid)

Hematocrit: Shows the ratio of red blood cells to the

total blood volume.
• Prepared using a centrifuge (an instrument that
spins the blood and separates the components
based on the densities)

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Plasma
• 50-60% of blood volume
• Straw-coloured liquid

91% 7% 2%

Red Blood Cells

• Also known as erythrocytes
• Produced in the bone marrow

• Most numerous of cells in the blood (38-48% of blood volume)

• Disc shaped (doughnut without the hole!)

• NO NUCLEUS or MITOCHONDRIA!!!

• Live about 120 days, then broken down by spleen and liver

• Contains hemoglobin

• ROLE: Transports oxygen and a small amount of carbon dioxide.

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Hemoglobin
• Contains iron - gives red blood cells their colour
• Composed of a heme group, which binds oxygen
• Each hemoglobin molecule can bind four molecules of oxygen
• In the lungs, oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide

White Blood Cells

• Also called leukocytes
• Produced in bone marrow and lymph tissue
• Make up 2-3% of blood volume
• Amoeboid shape – no basic shape, changeable
• Colourless, large nucleus

• Role: Forms immune system

• Detects antigens (germs)
• Produces antibodies
• Cleans up dead cells

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There are many types of white blood cells

They look like this when

stained an viewed under
400X magnification.

Platelets
• Also called thrombocytes
Platelets
• Cell fragments (not cells), have irregular shape Megakaryocyte
• ¼ size of a RBC
• Colourless, no nucleus
• Live about 10 days
• ROLE: Blood clotting (Contains thromboplastin)

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Blood Clotting
• The formation of a clot is called coagulation

• Clotting is vital to prevent significant loss of

blood.

• Clotting is when a blood vessel is patched

by the solidification of blood at the site of
an injury

Clotting Process
1. A blood vessel is injured
• Blood leaves to clean the wound
• Blood vessel undergoes vasoconstriction to restrict
blood flow

2. Platelets migrate to the site of the injury and then burst,

releasing an enzyme called thromboplastin

3. Thromboplastin initiates the conversion of prothrombin

(a plasma protein) into thrombin

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4. Thrombin converts the soluble plasma protein fibrinogen into

insoluble strands of fibrin

5. The fibrin forms a network of fibers that trap red blood cells and
platelets to form a clot.

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Anticoagulants
• Proteins that prevent blood from clotting
• Heparin
• Fibrinolysin

• If clots occur in the blood vessels, it can be life threatening

because it can move to different parts of the body
• E.g. brain – stroke
• E.g. heart – heart attack
• E.g. lung – pulmonary embolus

Hemophilia
• An inherited bleeding disorder in which a person’s blood
does not clot properly
• Due to the absence of a clotting factor

• Clotting factors: catalyzes the conversion of prothrombin to

thrombin.
• Thromboplastin
• Clotting factor VIII (anti-hemophilia factor)

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Treatment for Hemophilia

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