Blood Physiology:

Dr. Adnan Sami

Haematology:

The branch of Science concerned with

the study of Blood, Blood forming
tissues and the disorders associated
with them is called Haematology.
Haema means blood
Logos means study.
Blood:

Albumin: ligands. bilirubin, ions, fatty acids,
Erythrocyte:
Red Blood Cell
What are Red Blood Cells?

 Red blood cells (RBCs), also referred to as

red cells, red blood corpuscles,
haematids, erythroid cells or erythrocytes
 (from Greek erythros for "red" -cyte
translated as "cell" in modern usage),

 Red blood cell deliver oxygen (O2) to the
body tissues—via blood flow through the
circulatory system. RBCs take up oxygen in
the lungs, release it into tissues while
squeezing through the body's capillaries.
 (in humans or other animals not having
nucleus in red blood cells)
Structure:

 The cytoplasm of erythrocytes is rich in hemoglobin, (an

Iron Rich Protein) that can bind oxygen and is responsible
for the red color of the cells and the blood.
 Each human red blood cell contains approximately 280
million of these hemoglobin molecules.
 The cell membrane is composed of proteins and lipids,
and this structure provides properties essential for
physiological cell function such as deformability ( Ability
to Change Shape) and stability while traversing the
circulatory system and specifically the capillary
network.
 They have actin and spectrin protein
 In humans, mature red blood cells are flexible
and oval biconcave disks.
 They lack a cell nucleus, DNA and most
organelles (Mitochondria and ER), to
accommodate maximum space for hemoglobin;
 they can be viewed as sacks of hemoglobin, with
a plasma membrane as the sack.
RBC Size:

A typical human red blood cell has a

disk diameter of approximately 6.2–8.2
µm and a thickness at the thickest
point of 2–2.5 µm and a minimum
thickness in the centre of 0.8–1 µm,
being much smaller than most other
human cells.
Amount:

 Women have about 4–5 million red blood

cells per microliter (cubic millimeter) of
blood and men about 5–6 million.
 4,000–11,000white blood cells and about
150,000–400,000 platelets per microliter.
 Human red blood cells take on average 60 seconds
to complete one cycle of circulation.
 Hemoglobin is responsible for the transport of
more than 98% of the oxygen in the body. The
red blood cells of an average adult human male
store collectively about 2.5 grams of iron,
representing about 65% of the total iron contained
in the body.
 4g in male
 3.5g in female
 3g or less in children
 Approximately 2.4 million new erythrocytes are
produced per second in human adults. The cells
develop in the bone marrow and circulate for
about 100–120 days in the body before their
components are recycled by macrophages.
 Eachcirculation takes about 60 seconds (one
minute). Approximately 84% of the cells in the
human body are 20–30 trillion red blood cells.
 Nearly half of the blood's volume (40% to 45%) is
red blood cells.
Life Cycle:

 Creation:
 Erythropoiesis: is the process by which new red blood cells are produced;
it lasts about 7 days.
 Through this process red blood cells are continuously produced in the bone
marrow of large bones. (In the embryo, the liver is the main site of red
blood cell production.)
 The production can be stimulated by the hormone erythropoietin (EPO),
synthesized by the kidney.
 Reticulocyte:
 They are called reticulocytes because of a reticular
(mesh-like) network of ribosomal RNA that becomes visible
under a microscope
 Just before and after leaving the bone marrow, the
developing cells are known as reticulocytes; these
constitute about 1% of circulating red blood cells.
 It took 1 to 2 days to be mature.
 Functional lifetime
 Thefunctional lifetime of a red blood cell is
about 100–120 days, during which time the red
blood cells are continually moved by the blood
flow push (in arteries), pull (in veins) and a
combination of the two as they squeeze through
microvessels such as capillaries.
 Senescence (Growing Old)
 The aging red blood cell undergoes changes in its plasma
membrane, making it susceptible to selective
recognition by macrophages and subsequent phagocytosis
in the mononuclear phagocyte system (spleen, liver and
lymph nodes), thus removing old and defective cells and
continually purging the blood. This process is termed
eryptosis, red blood cell programmed death.
 This process normally occurs at the same rate of
production by erythropoiesis, balancing the total
circulating red blood cell count.
 Male: 4.7 to 6.1 million cells per microliter
(cells/mcL) Female: 4.2 to 5.4 million
cells/mcL.
 Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are ubiquitous metalloenzymes
that catalyze one of the most important reactions in life:
the interconversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water
(H2O) to bicarbonate (HCO3−) and protons (H+).
 Carbon dioxide can be transported through the blood via three methods.
 It is dissolved directly in the blood, bound to plasma
proteins or hemoglobin, or converted into bicarbonate.
 The majority of carbon dioxide is transported as part of the
bicarbonate system. Carbon dioxide diffuses into red blood
cells.