CHAPTER 6: BLOOD PHYSIOLOGY

Blood Physiology
Blood

 sticky, opaque fluid with a metallic & salty taste

 viscous fluid, connective tissue
 heavier and thicker than pure water
 accounts for approximately 8% of body weight
 average volume is 5–6 L for males, and
4–5 L for females

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 Major functions of the blood

1. Transport
a. gases (O2 and CO2)
b. nutrients (glucose, aa and fatty acids)
c. hormones
d. metabolic waste products
2. Defense:
a. WBC and antibodies prevent against diseases
b. Platelets prevents against blood loss
3. Regulation
a. temperature regulation
b. acid-base balance
c. regulation of blood volume etc

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 blood cont’d

Components of Blood
1. Formed elements (45%) - the actual cellular
components of blood
a. erythrocytes - (Red blood cells)
b. leukocytes - (White blood cells)
c. platelets - (Thrombocytes)
2. Plasma(55%) - is the fluid portion of the blood

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Blood: Hematocrit (Ht) or packed cell volume (PCV)
 is the percentage of RBC in a given volume
of whole blood
 on average it is about 45%

3-layers after centrifugation

1. Upper suspension: is the blood plasma that

accounts to 55% of the blood volume.

2. Buffy coat located at the middle.

Accounts to < 1% of the volume.
- It consists of WBC & PLATELETS

3. Lower portion : is a reddish mass of RBC that

settles at the bottom of the test tube.
Accounts to 45% of the whole blood.

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 Components cont’d

Plasma
(55% of whole blood)

Buffy coat:
leukocyctes and platelets
(<1% of whole blood)

Formed
elements

Erythrocytes
1 Withdraw blood and 2 Centrifuge (45% of whole blood)
place in tube
 Plasma and it’s composition

Plasma
 straw colored sticky liquid portion of blood
 accounts for about 55% of the total blood volume

Plasma is composed of:

 > 93 % water
 ~ 7 % proteins, gases (O2, CO2 in small amounts),
nutrients(glucose,aa,fatty acids) ,vitamins , electrolytes,
hormones, and metabolic wastes etc

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 Serum vs. plasma
- Serum is the yellowish fluid that forms after blood is left
to clot
• It is plasma from which fibrinogen and other proteins
involved in clotting have been removed as a result of
clotting

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Plasma proteins
o albumin (~ 60% or 4.5 gm/dl)
o globulins ( ~ 36%, or 2.5 gm/dl)
o fibrinogen (4% or 0.3 gm/dl)

Functions:
- maintain blood volume
- serves as transporter
- fight against diseases
- involved in blood clotting

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Hematopoiesis
- Is production of blood cells from stem cells
Sites
fetus
– liver and spleen, bone marrow-
infants
– bone marrow (all sites)-
adults
– bone marrow: vertebrae, ribs, sternum, skull, sacrum and pelvis, proximal
femur
 Blood cells
Red Blood Cells (RBC’s)

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 Red Blood cells (RBC)

 are biconcave

 have strong and flexible membrane which allows them to

deform without rupturing as they squeeze through narrow
capillaries

 matured RBC does not have nucleus & other organelles

 life span - 120days

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Fig: Structure of erythrocytes
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RBC- Functions

1. transports respiratory
gases (O2 and CO2)

2. hemoglobin(Hb) can
serveas a buffer
(pH balance)

3. Carbonic anhydrase (CA):

- an enzyme located in
RBC membrane,

CA >
CO2 + H2O H2CO3 = HCO-3 + H+

4. Contributing to blood viscosity

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RBC number

adult male: 5.2 million /mm3

adult female: 4.7million /mm3
persons living at high altitudes have greater numbers of RBC
 Erythropoiesis

Erythropoiesis: process by
which RBC are produced
Physiological mechanism
• the stimulus for
erythropoiesis
is Hypoxia (low O2 supply
to tissues)
 Kidney releases a hormone
called erythropoietin
 bone marrow

increased RBC production

 O2 delivery to hypoxic tissues 17
 Substances necessary for RBC maturation

a. Vitamin B12:
- Important for DNA synthesis and thus for cell maturation
and division
b. Folic acid: obtained from green vegetables, fruits, liver,
meat. also important in DNA synthesis.
c. Iron: necessary for hemoglobin synthesis

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 White blood cells(WBCs)
• Nucleus: Have nucleus all the time, but lack Hb
• Defense: WBC’s fight infection by:
- by direct destruction (e.g., Phagocytosis)
- by producing : i. antibodies &
ii. sensitized lymphocytes
• Life span: Many (not all) live only a few days, may be b/c of
their engagement with pathogens

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Types

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 Platelets

• Involved in blood
clotting processes.

• Life Span 4-12 days

• Mostly have no nucleus

• Release serotonin,
thromboxane
(cause vasoconstriction)

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 Blood Groups
 erythrocytes contain genetically determined surface antigens
( agglutinogens)

 a person who has no these antigens have antibodies (agglutinins )

in his plasma that react with specific antigens

 blood group is named according to surface antigens that are

present on RBC and type of antibody in the serum

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 Types of blood groups
 in humans, there are two known blood groups that are clinically
important:
a. ABO-blood groups
b. Rh- blood groups

 in the ABO system, blood is classified primarily on the basis of the

A and B antigens present on the surface of red blood cell
membranes (erythrocytes)

 secondly, blood is classified on the basis of the naturally

occurring antibodies (agglutinins) in the serum

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 ABO-blood groups
 a person whose red cells possess the A -antigen has anti-B
antibody in his serum and is classified as blood group A

 if B antigen is present in the red cell membranes, anti-A antibody is

present in his serum and the person is designated as blood group B

 if both AB antigens are present on red cells, then he has no

antibody, so is AB blood group

 if no antigens are present on red cells, he is O Type and has both

anti A and B antibody in his serum

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 Rh blood group/Rh-factor/Rh antigen

 the Rh blood typing system is so named because Rh antigen

(agglutinogen D) was originally identified in rhesus monkeys
 later, the same antigen was discovered in humans
RBCs
 a person is classified as Rh+, if his/her red cells possess the Rh-
antigen (called D antigen) or Rh-, if he/she doesn’t posses the D-
antigen on their red cells

 there is no naturally occurring anti D antibodies in the serum

– therefore, Rh negative person produce anti D antibodies only
when he/she is exposed to Rh+ blood
– anti D antibody is IgG type, hence it can pass from maternal
circulation to fetal circulation through the placenta
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• according to the two blood grouping systems, you can
belong to either of following 8 blood groups:
A+ or A-
B+ or B-
 AB+ or AB-
O+ and O-
e.g. A+ indicates that the blood group is A and is Rh
positive

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 Donators and Recipients
Donators
1. O can donate blood to group A, B, AB, and O
2. A “ A & AB only
3. B “ B & AB only
4. AB “ AB only

Recipients
1. O can receive blood from group O only
2. A “ A & O only
3. B “ B & O only
4. AB “ A, B, O, & AB
Note: In all the above cases, donation is possible only when
the donor’s and recipient’s Rh factor is also compatible

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Universal donor:

 Blood group “O negative is called universal donor,

because there are no antigens on their cell-membrane
surfaces and therefore can not agglutinate if transfused to
any blood types
o b/c O negatives lack antigens, they have anti- A & anti-B
antibodies in their plasma.

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Universal recipient

 a person having blood group AB+ can take (be transfused)

blood from any blood types
o because he/she has no anti A and anti B antibodies
in his/her serum to cause agglutination reactions.

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…….end…..