Blood Physiology

Composition of Blood

Dr Sallama Hamid Abbas

Consultant Lecturer Doctor
Blood Physiology
• Blood is the body's only fluid connective tissue , opaque ,red in
color ,leaves the heart via arteries that branch repeatedly until
they become capillaries.
•  Oxygen (O2) and nutrients diffuse across capillary walls and
enter tissues.
•  Carbon dioxide (CO2) and wastes move from tissues into the
blood.
• Oxygen-deficient blood leaves the capillaries and flows in veins
to the heart.
• This blood flows to the lungs where it releases CO2 and picks up
O2.
• The oxygen-rich blood returns to the heart.
•  
Composition of Blood
It is composed of
• liquid plasma
• formed elements include:
1.   Erythrocytes, or red blood cells (RBCs)
2.  Leukocytes, or white blood cells (WBCs)
3.  Platelets
Physical Characteristics and
Volume
-   Blood is a sticky, opaque fluid with a metallic taste.
- Color varies from scarlet (oxygen-rich) to dark red
(oxygen-poor).
- Much more dense than pure water.
- The pH of blood is 7.35–7.45.
- Temperature is 38°C(100.4 F), slightly higher than
“normal” body temperature.
- Blood accounts for approximately 8% of body weight.
Average volume of blood is 5–6 L for males, and - •
L for females 5–4 •
Functions of Blood
  Blood performs a number of functions dealing
with:
1.Distribution or transport :   Blood transports:
• Oxygen from lungs and nutrients from digestive
tract to the cells.
• Metabolic wastes from cells to the lungs(CO2)
and kidneys (nitrogenous) for elimination.
• Hormones from endocrine glands to target
organs.
2.Regulation : Blood maintains:
1•    Appropriate body temperature by absorbing and distributing heat.
2•    Normal pH in body tissues using buffer systems ,the bicarbonate
atoms helps in maintaining a PH around 7.4 which is required for
normal cell functions.
3•    Adequate fluid volume in the circulatory system.
3.Protection
1-      Blood prevents blood loss by:
•    Activating plasma proteins and platelets.
•    Initiating clot formation when a vessel is broken.
2-   Blood prevents infection by:
•    Synthesizing and utilizing antibodies.
•    Activating complement proteins.
•    Activating WBCs to defend the body against foreign invaders.
Blood Plasma
• Plasma is the liquid fraction of whole
blood .it is a part of extracellular fluid of
the body .
• It is complex non cellular fluid surrounding
formed elements ,proteins and
electrolytes.
Blood plasma makes up to 55% of• •
normal blood volume ,water constitutes
, 90% of plasma volume
 plasma contains over 100 solutes, including:
• Proteins – albumin, globulins, fibrinogen . The average
normal concentrations are : 4.5 g/dl ,2.5g/dl,0.3g/dl
,respectively .
• Nonprotein nitrogenous substances – lactic acid, urea,
creatinine.
•  Organic nutrients – glucose, carbohydrates, amino acids.
• Electrolytes – sodium , potassium, calcium, chloride,
bicarbonate, phosphate, sulfate and others.
.Respiratory gases – oxygen and carbon dioxide • •
Functions of plasma
• :
1-Transport of hormones , vitamins , minerals , and drugs . Examples:
albumin is a universal transporter , while other plasma proteins are
specific for transport of some substances like transferrin ( transport of
iron) , transcobalamine (transport of Vit. B12 ) , Apolipoprotein B
( transport of lipoproteins) .
2- Control of capillary permeability.
3- Contribution to acid-base- balance : Plasma proteins contribute to
about 15% of the buffering capacity of blood.
4- Contribution to regulation of arterial blood pressure , as follows:
* Plasma proteins contribute to blood viscosity , which is important in
production of peripheral resistance .
* Plasma proteins exert oncotic pressure , which tends to pull water
into the blood ( at capillary level) , which maintains the blood volume.
5- Blood coagulation : Most of clotting factors are plasma proteins.
6- Immune functions(circulating antibodies) .
7- Contribution to gas transport : Plasma proteins participate in CO2
transport in blood.
Serum preparation
Collect whole blood in covered test tube, If
commercially available tubes are to be used, the
researcher should use the red topped tube.
After collection of the whole blood, allow the blood to
clot by leaving it undisturbed at room temperature. This
usually takes 15–30 minutes. Remove the clot by
centrifuging at 1,000–2,000 x g for 10 minutes in a
refrigerated centrifuge.
The resulting supernatant is designated serum.
Following centrifugation, it is important to immediately
transfer the liquid component (serum) into a clean
polypropylene tube using a Pasteur pipette.
 Samples should be maintained at 2–8°C while
handling.
If the serum is not analyzed immediately, it should be
apportioned into 0.5 ml , stored, and transported at –
20°C or lower.
It is important to avoid freeze-thaw cycles because
this is detrimental to many serum components.
Samples which are hemolysed, icteric or lipemic can
invalidate certain tests.
Plasma preparation

Collect whole blood into commercially available

anticoagulant-treated tubes e.g., EDTA-treated (lavender
tops) or citrate-treated (light blue tops). Heparinized tubes
(green tops) are indicated for some applications; however,
heparin can often be contaminated with endotoxin, which
can stimulate white blood cells to release cytokines.
Cells are removed from plasma by centrifugation for •
10 minutes at 1,000–2,000 x g using a refrigerated
centrifuge. Centrifugation for 15 minutes at 2,000 x g
.depletes platelets in the plasma sample
• The resulting supernatant is designated plasma. Following
centrifugation, it is important to immediately transfer the
liquid component (plasma) into a clean polypropylene tube
using a Pasteur pipette.
• The samples should be maintained at 2–8°C while handling.
If the plasma is not analyzed immediately, the plasma should
be apportioned into 0.5 ml, stored, and transported at –20°C
or lower.
• It is important to avoid freeze-thaw cycles.
• the samples which are hemolysed, icteric, or lipemic can
invalidate certain tests.
Thank you •