CELLS OF THE HUMAN

BODY
Red Blood cells
• Also called erythrocytes.
• Has Biconcave Disk shape.
– Provides 20-30% greater surface area than a
sphere
– Allows the erythrocytes to deform readily
• No Nucleus, Organelles, Centrioles or
Division.
• Count - Male 5.2-5.8 million/mm3
Female 4.3-5.2 million/mm3
• Erythropoiesis is occur in bone marrow.
• Life span of an erythrocyte is 120 days.
• Old erythrocytes become rigid and fragile and
their Hb begin to degenerate.
• Red cell destroy is occur in spleen.

In a blood film red cells are stained in pink due

to high contain of Hb( A basic Protein )
 Neutrophils
• 40% to 70% in WBC
• 12-15 µm in diameter
• 2 – 5 lobes in nucleus
• In females inactive X chromosome appear as a
drumstick appendage on one lobe
• Cytoplasm contains granules, granules are
small and numerous and purple
• Function – phagocytosis of bacteria
• Half life time 6-7 days in blood
1-4 days in connective tissue
• Increases in bacterial infection
 Eosinophil
• 1% to 6% in WBC
• Bilobed nucleus
• Contain Histamine
• Increase in number
– Helminthic infections
– Filariasis
– Allergic conditions
• Show phagocytic function.
 Basophils
• Less than 1% in WBC
• Irregular lobe
• Specific basic granules
– Granules cover nucleus so difficult to see nucleus
• Contain Histamine and Heparin
• Increase in number in allergic conditions
 Lymphocytes
• 20% to 45% in WBC
• Spherical shape with indentation
• Cytoplasm continued to peripheral area
• Few azurophilic granules
• Life span- few days to several years
• Only cell type that return to blood stream
after diapedesis
• Two types T – directly attack cell
B – produce
• Smallest cell antibody
type
 Monocytes
• 2% to 8% in WBC
• Dark bean shaped nucleus
• Less condensed chromatin than lymphocytes
• Basophilic cytoplasm with azurophilic granules
• Bluish color cytoplasm
• Precursor of macrophages
• Show high phagocytic activity
• Larges cell type
 PLATELETS

Synthesis
• Produced in bone marrow – Megakaryocytes
• Regulated by – Thrombopoietin
• each megakaryocyte formed around 4000 platelets
•From differentiation of stem cell to platelets takes
around 10 days
• Smallest blood cells
• Colorless, spherical appear as dark pink in stained sections
• No nucleus cannot reproduce
• Covered with a glycoprotein surface coat
• In healthy individuals 1/3 remain in the spleen
• Life span 7 – 10 days
Reticulocytes

 young, immature non-nucleated red blood cells,

contains reticular material that tains gray blue.
Reticulum is present in newly released blood cells 1-2
days before the cell reach its full maturity.
 2-3 days = BONE MARROW
 1 day – PERIPHERAL BLOOD
BLEEDING TIME &
CLOTTING TIME
 BLEEDING TIME

- measures the ability of small blood vessels to control free flow of blood

after injury. The duration of bleeding is

 a measure of the function of platelets as well as the integrity of the blood

vessel wall.
 DUKE’S METHOD
Procedure:
1. Cleanse the earlobe or the 3rd or 4th finger with 70% isopropyl alcohol
and allow it to dry.
2. Make a relatively deep puncture with a sterile blood lancet and start
timing.
3. Blot the blood using filter paper every 30 seconds.
Note: Do not allow the filter paper to touch the wound as this will
hasten the bleeding time.
4. Stop timing as bleeding ceases and record the
bleeding time. Normal Value: 2 – 4 minutes
 Other Methods of Measuring Bleeding Time

A. Ivy’s
Procedure:
1. Apply a sphygmomanometer cuff on the patient’s upper arm. Inflate it at 40 mmHg.
Maintain this pressure during the
entire procedure.
2. Cleanse an area on the volar surface of the forearm with 70% alcohol and allow it to
dry. The selected area should be free from visible veins.
3. Make three successive punctures in the form of a triangle to a depth of 2 – 3 mm
using a disposable lancet. Start timing.
4. Blot the blood with filter paper at 30-second interval until the bleeding stops.
5. Record the time when the bleeding stops.

Normal Value: 1 – 7 minutes

 Other Methods of Measuring Bleeding Time

B. Copley-Lalitch Method
Procedure:
1. Cleanse the fingertip with
alcohol and allow it to
dry.
2. Make a puncture to a
depth of 6 mm. Start
timing.
3. Immerse the punctured finger in sterile physiologic saline solution
 Other Methods of Coagulation Time

I. Capillary Blood Methods

A. Drop or Slide Procedure:
1.Perform a skin puncture.
Discard the first drop of
3.blood.
Draw the tip of the lancet across the drop of blood at 30-second
intervalauntil
2.Place dropfibrin threads
of blood on acling to the tip.
clean glass slide. Start timing.

Normal Value: 2 – 4 minutes

 Capillary Tube or Dale and Laidlaws Method

Procedure:
1. Make a skin puncture. Wipe off the first drop of blood.
2. Fill a non-heparinized capillary tube ¾ with blood.
3. Start timing as soon as blood enters the tube.
4. Set the capillary tube aside in a horizontal position for two minutes.
5. Break off about 1 cm of the capillary tube at 30-second interval until
fibrin thread bridges the broken ends of the capillary tube.
6. Record the coagulation time.

Normal Value: 2 – 4 minutes