Basic Blood Flashcards
Blood consists of basically two parts, what are they?
Plasma—protein rich fluid
Formed elements (cells/cell fragments)
- RBC
- WBC
- platelets
What is Hematocrit?
What is the difference in males and females?
Volume of RBC in a blood sample
Females have lower percentage of RBCs
When placed in a centrifuge, blood separates into three layers, what are they and what is in them?
- Plasma 55% : contains water protein (mostly albumin) and electrolytes
- Buffy coat <1% : contains platelets and WBCs
- Erythrocytes 44% : contains just RBCs
Interstitial fluid is derived from what?
Blood plasma
What is serum?
Serum=blood plasma - clotting factors
Describe albumin
- main protein constituent in plasma
- made in the liver
- source of major colloid osmotic pressure
- carrier for thyroxine, bilirubin, and barbiturates
There are 2 types of globulins, describe them both.
- Immunoglobulins (“yimmunoglobuilins”) are functional immunesystem molecules
- Non-immunoglobulins (alpha and beta) include fibronectin, lipoproteins, and coagulation factors, which all help to maintain the osmotic pressure and serve as carrier proteins.
Describe fibronectin
- Largest plasma protein
- made in the liver
- fibrinogen is soluble, converted to monomers, then polymerized to form insoluble fibrin.
Describe erythrocytes
- no nucleus or organelles
- biconcave disc—provides extreme flexibility
- line up as rouleaux
- live for 120 days
- always 7-8 microns, can be used a rulers
What are reticulocytes?
- Immature RBCs that have been released from the bone marrow.
- still have nuclear material or organelles
- mature with in 24-48 hours
- this can be a marker for disease process.
What are the integral membrane proteins in the erythrocyte skeleton? Describe them.
- Glycophorin C—attaches underlying cytoskeleton network to the cell membrane (band 4.1 protein complex)
- Band 3 protein—most abundant, binds hemoglobin and acts as anchoring site for cytoskeletal proteins (ankyrin and band 4.2)
What are the peripheral membrane proteins involved in the erythrocyte cytoskeleton and how to they interact?
They create 2D hexagonal lattice network
This lattice is composed of alpha-spectrin and Beta-spectrin.
Spectrin filaments are anchored by Band 4.1 proteins complex (interact with glycophorin C) and Ankyrin protein complex (ankyrin and band 4.2 that interacts with band 3)
Anemia is caused by…
What can lead to anemia?
Accelerated destruction of blood cells.
Can be brought about by insufficient dietary vitamin B12, Fe, or folic acid.
What is hereditary spherocytosis?
- autosomal dominant mutation
- affects ankyrin complex (band 3, band 4.2, etc)
- defective anchor proteins»>membrane peels off
- lose biconcavity, now just spherical
What is hereditary elliptocytosis?
- autosomal dominant mutation
- spectrin-spectrin lateral bonds and spectrin-ankyrin-band 4.1 protein junctions are defective
- membrane fails to rebound, elongates
- leads to elliptical erythrocytes
How are hemolytic anemias and jaundice related?
Yellows appearance can be caused by the destruction of circulating erythrocytes.
Common in newborns because new born liver is inefficient
Describe sickle-cell anemia
- Single point mutation
- Glu»>Val
- cell aggregate
- more viscous because of shape, more fragile
Granulocytes include which leukocytes?
Neutrophils
Eosinophils
Basophils
Neutrophils
- dark nuclear staining, faint cytoplasmic
- multi lobed nucleus
- function in acute inflammation and tissue injury
- Can leave circulatory system
- has azurophilic granules, specific granules, and tertiary granules.
Azurophilic granules
Also known as Primary granules
Have lysosomes containing myeloperoxidase (MPO)
Specific granules
Also known as secondary granules
Have various enzymes, complement activators, and antimicrobial peptides.
Tertiary granules
Very small, used to move neutrophil out of the vasculature.
Phosphatase and metalloproteinases.
Eosinophils
- same size as neutrophils
- stain very pink with eosin
- bi-lobed nuclei
- have large elongated specific and azurophilic granules.
- mediate chronic inflammation/parasitic infections
Basophils
- same size as neutrophils
- lobed nucleus but cannot see because of all the granules.
Lymphocytes
- main function cell of immune system
- small, medium, and large
- intense staining of spherical nucleus with thin pale blue rim of cytoplasm
- not terminally differentiated
Three functionally distinct lymphocytes, what are they?
T- lymphocytes, undergo differentiation in the thymus
B-lymphocytes, form and undergo differentiation in bone marrow
Natural killer cells
B and T lymphocytes, you cant tell the difference between them on a slide
Monocytes
- Largest of the WBC
- Heart shaped nucleus
- small azurophilic granules
- differentiate into phagocytes in different tissues
Thrombocytes
- fragments of cells
- broken off of megakaryocyte
- platelets
Clot formation
- Damage in vasculature promotes platelet adhesion
- Platelets release serotonin—vasoconstrictor, smooth muscle contracts to decrease blood flow to the injury. ADP and thomboxane, calls more platelets»>primary hemostatic plug
- Platelets provide a surface for the conversion of soluble fibrinogen to fibrin.
- Fibrin forms mesh over the initial plug, traps platelets»>becomes secondary hemostatic plug
