Function:
Transports
nutrients, gases
and wastes
around the body.
Major
Organs:
-Heart
-Blood Vessels
-Blood
Blood is a connective tissue
made of cells suspended in
a fluid matrix.
The suspended cells are
known as formed elements.
The fluid matrix is known as
plasma.
• If a sample of whole blood is
separated in a centrifuge, the
plasma will rise to the top and the
formed elements will fall to the
bottom.
• The composition of blood:
•55% plasma (yellowish liquid)
•1% white blood cells and platelets (layer
known as the buffy coat)
•44% red blood cells (known as the pellet)
When getting a standard
blood test, the lab will
test your % of red blood
cells. This is known as a
hematocrit.
•Blood is 5 times more viscous than water.
•The color ranges from bright red to
purplish.
•The range of colors is due to the amount of
oxygen in that blood vessel.
•Blood is NEVER blue!
•Blood has a small pH range of 7.35-7.45.
•You have about 5-6 liters of blood in your
body at all times.
•90% water
•10% dissolved gases, salts,
minerals, nutrients, enzymes,
hormones, waste, and
proteins
3 basic types of proteins are found in plasma:
•Albumin- regulates osmosis between blood and
tissues
•Globulins- transport substances or fight infection
•Fibrinogen- used in blood clotting
•The composition of plasma is regulated by
homeostasis.
•Blood is a thick, red liquid that has
several functions in the body. Most
of the blood is made of a fluid called
plasma and the rest is comprised of
formed elements like platelets and
blood cells. Plasma is mostly water,
but also contains salts, nutrients,
hormones, and proteins.
•The other components of blood are
called formed elements because,
unlike plasma, they have a shape.
•3 formed elements:
•Erythrocytes
•Leukocytes
•Platelets
•Erythrocytes= Red
Blood Cells
•Function- transport
oxygen around the
body via hemoglobin
molecules.
•About 5 million in each
milliliter of blood
•Produced in red bone
marrow.
•The structure of an
erythrocyte is well-suited
for its function.
•Biconcave shape (like an
inner-tube) allows for
greater surface area.
•Round sides make for
efficient flow through
blood vessels.
•Erythrocytes have no
nucleus & few organelles
so they don’t use up the
oxygen while transporting
it.
•Oxygen is nonpolar, so it is not
soluble in blood. Therefore, the
erythrocytes must carry the oxygen
throughout the bloodstream.
•Get their red color from hemoglobin,
the oxygen carrying molecule.
•When oxygen is released into the body,
the blood becomes a darker red/purple.
•Hemoglobin is a protein composed of 4 chains called
globins.
•Each globin contains a flat molecule called a “heme”,
which holds an Iron atom.
•Each Iron atom can bind to one O molecule.
2
•Therefore, one hemoglobin can hold 4 O molecules.
2
o Leukocytes= White blood cells
oFunction- to protect the body from foreign
cells or substances
o There are several kinds of leukocytes. Each
one has a unique function in the body.
• Outnumber leukocytes 1,000 to 1 oMuch less numerous than
• Mature cells do not contain red blood cells
nuclei o Always contain nuclei
• Live only 100-120 days oMost live only a few days,
• Confined to the bloodstream but some can live for years
• Concentration in blood remains oFlow through plasma, but
fairly constant can also move on their own
and pass out of the blood
vessels (a process known as
diapedesis).
oConcentration fluctuates as
needed
•Erythrocytes (red blood cells) are
highly efficient at transporting oxygen
through the blood. The oxygen is
carried on hemoglobin molecules
within the erythrocytes. Leukocytes
(white blood cells) differ in structure
and function but are all responsible
for protecting the body from foreign
invaders.
o Each of these cells is a type of leukocyte.
•Neutrophils,
Basophils, &
Eosinophils are
known as
granulocytes.
•They have lobe-
shaped nuclei
and contain
visible granules.
•Lymphocytes &
monocytes are
known as
agranulocytes
because they do NOT
have visible
granules.
•They have spherical
or kidney-shaped
nuclei.
•Engulf and destroy foreign bacteria
•Most common leukocyte and more
are produced during an infection
•Two-lobed nuclei
•Kill parasitic worms ingested in food
•Also lessen allergic reactions
•Release histamines, which dilate
blood vessels so other leukocytes can
rush to an infection or allergen
•Large, spherical nucleus.
•Although there are many
lymphocytes in your body, they are
mostly found in lymph nodes, rather
than in the bloodstream.
•2 types: T-cells and B-cells
•Nucleus is kidney-shaped
•When monocytes leave the blood
and enter surrounding tissues, they
become macrophages
• Macrophages attack and engulf viruses, parasites,
and bacterial infections
• Neutrophils are the most
commonly found leukocyte
in the blood.
• A mnemonic device to help
you remember the
amounts of each type of
leukocyte in the blood is:
• Never (Neutrophils)
• Let (Lymphocytes)
• Monkeys (Monocytes)
• Eat (Eosinophils)
• Bananas (Basophils)
•Thrombocytes=
platelets
•Made of tiny fragments
of other cells
•Responsible for clotting
the blood when a vessel
is broken
•Besides erythrocytes, the other
formed elements in the blood are
leukocytes and thrombocytes.
Leukocytes are either classified as
granulocytes or agranulocytes and
they protect the body from foreign
invaders. Thrombocytes (or platelets)
aid in clotting of blood vessels.
•Hematopoiesis= the process of blood cell
formation
•Occurs in the red bone marrow of adults
•All formed elements are
derived from a common
stem cell (called a
hemocytoblast).
•Hemocytoblasts
differentiate into lymphoid
stem cells which create
lymphocytes, and myeloid
stem cells which create all
other types of blood cells.
•Hormones are the stimulating factor for
producing blood cells:
•Red blood cell production is stimulated by
erythropoietin.
•White blood cell production is stimulated by
colony stimulating factors (CSFs) and
interleukins.
•Platelet production is stimulated by
thrombopoietin.
• When a blood vessel
is injured, platelets
begin the process of
forming a blood clot
(called hemostasis).
• This process is
important in
restricting blood loss
after a cut or bruise.
1. The blood vessel
contracts, causing reduced
blood loss at the wound.
2. Platelets are chemically
attracted to the wounded
epithelium and stick
together.
3. Injured tissues release
tissue factor which
interacts with the platelets
causing the production of
the enzyme thrombin.
Thrombin + fibrinogen
proteins = fibrin filaments
that form a mesh.
• Sometimes, an abnormal
clot forms within a blood
vessel. This clot is called a
thrombus.
• If this thrombus dislodges
and floats through the
blood, it is called an
embolus.
• Blood clots can be very
serious because they
restrict the flow of blood.
Stroke, heart attack, or
death may occur.
All formed elements are produced
through the process of hematopoiesis
from hemocytoblasts. These processes
are stimulated by hormones.
Hemostasis, the process of blood
clotting, involves physical and chemical
reactions. If a blood clot forms
abnormally, a thrombus or embolus can
form.
•An antigen is a substance (protein, peptide or
polysaccharide) that the body recognizes as foreign.
•In the presence of an antigen, the immune system will
produce antibodies that bind to the antigen.
•As antibodies bind to the antigen, they clump together
(called agglutination).
•Foreign blood also creates this response, which may be
lethal for anyone receiving this blood.
•Erythrocytes have many antigens on their
surface, but ABO and Rh antigens cause
the most harm during blood transfusions.
•ABO Blood Groups:
•Type A= has A antigens
•Type B= has B antigens
•Type AB= has both A and B antigens
•Type O= has neither A nor B antigens
Remember that antibodies are not
produced for antigens that individual
already has.
• The presence of these antibodies in the blood
makes blood typing essential before a blood
transfusion. The wrong type of blood will cause
serious health problems or death.
• The following chart
shows which blood types
are compatible.
• Type O is called the
“universal donor” and
type AB is called the
“universal recipient”.
• All blood types can
donate to an identical
blood type (A can donate
to A).
• Type O can also donate
to A, B, or AB
• Type A can also donate
to AB.
• Type B can also donate
to AB.
• Type AB can not donate
to any other blood
types.
•The Rh system is determined by the presence or
absence of an Rh antigen on red blood cells.
•Most Americans (85%) are Rh positive (Rh+).
•Unlike ABO blood groups, anti-Rh antibodies are not
produced immediately.
•Rh- people form anti-Rh antibodies when they come in
contact with Rh+ blood. These remain in the blood.
•Rh antigens are also closely monitored during blood
transfusions so the donated blood does not react with
the recipient’s blood.
• Rh antigens will sometimes become a
problem during pregnancy. If the
mother is Rh- and the baby is Rh+, any
blood leaked between the membranes
will cause the mother’s blood to form
the anti-Rh antibodies.
• Risk occurs if the mother has another
Rh+ baby. Her body will treat the fetus
as a foreign substance and destroy the
baby’s red blood cells.
• Doctors closely monitor Rh during
pregnancy and can provide RhoGam,
which prevents the mother’s blood from
In the presence of a foreign antigen,
antibodies will cause agglutination. This
can be fatal if the blood is not correctly
identified for ABO antigens and Rh
antigens. The presence of these antigens
determines to whom blood can be safely
donated.
