Blood Flashcards
What are the 3 functions of blood?
1.) Transportation - transports nutrients throughout the body
2.) Regulation - temperature
3.) Protection- carry white blood cells
What are typical values for blood pH, specific gravity, volume, and hematocrit?
Classification of tissue: Complex connective tissue
pH - 7.38 (normal pH 7.35-7.45)
specific gravity (denser than water) - 1.015 - 1.024 L
volume - 5-5.5 L for men , 4-5 L for women
hematocrit (percentage of RBC in blood) - 45%
Blood is classified as what type of tissue?
connective tissue
What part of the blood is the non-living matrix?
plasma
Describe the 2 things that contribute to the composition of whole blood.
plasma (55%)
3 formed elements (45%)
1.) Erythrocytes (red blood cells): transports respiratory gases in blood; transports O2 and CO2 btw tissues and lungs; produced in red bone marrow
2.) Leukocytes (white blood cells): defends body against pathogens
3.) Platelets: help clot blood and prevent blood loss from damaged vessels
Describe the composition of plasma.
92% h2O
8% solutes (plasma proteins)
made in the liver btw
What is the primary component of plasma?
water
Identify the 3 main types of plasma proteins and describe the general functions of each.
(58%) Albumins - helps regulate fluid balance, contributes to blood viscosity, transports selected molecules
( 37% ) Globulins -
- Alpha Globulins : transports lipids and some metal ions
- Beta Globulins : transports lipids and iron ions
- Gamma Globulins: antibodies that immobilize pathogens
(smallest amount 4%) Fibrinogen - clotting protein
What is the most numerous blood cell?
erythrocytes
In adults, where are the formed elements of the blood produced?
red bone marrow
Describe the structure and function of mature erythrocytes (RBCs).
structure:
- flexible, disk shape
- mature ones are anucleate (lack a nucleus)
characteristic:
- carry hemoglobin and 4x oxygen atoms
- part of your 45% hematocrit in blood, (the volume percentage of red blood cells in blood)
Describe the molecular structure of hemoglobin (Hb). How does adult Hb (HbA) differ
from fetal Hb (HbF)?
hemoglobin carries oxygen
structure: four polypeptide subunits : two alpha and two beta chains
-each chain has a globular shape and has a heme group embedded in the center
-each heme group contains an atom of iron
How does adult hemoglobin differs from fetal
- fetal heme has high oxygen affinity
Fetal Hb has a higher affinity for oxygen than does adult Hb. Why is the higher oxygen
affinity of HbF beneficial to the fetus?
because it can take oxygen from the mother
What is the typical lifespan of RBCs?
80-120 days
Where are worn-out/damaged RBCs removed from the blood and broken down? What
type of cell performs this function?
Macrophages break them down in the liver and spleen
Describe the Hb breakdown products and tell how they are handled.
diagram
Name the hormone that stimulates RBC production. What organ releases this
hormone?
Erythropoietin (EPO) is released by the kidneys
Describe the negative feedback regulation of erythropoiesis (RBC production)
1.) hypoxia (low O2) occurs due to: a decreased RBC count, decreased amount of hemoglobin, decreased avilablity of O2
2.) which triggers the kidneys to release EPO
3.) EPO stimulus red bone marrow
4.) The enhanced EPO increased RBC count
5.) the more RBC, the more hemoglobin, the more O2 entering the blood stream
Describe the stages of RBC development from pluripotent stem cell to mature RBC.
Pluripotent/Hemocytoblast to Myeloid stem cell
Day 0 - Proerythroblast (committed to be a RBC)
Day 4- Phase 1 : Early Erythroblast (ribosome synthesis)
to Phase 2: Late erythroblast (hemoglobin accumulation)
Day 14 - normoblast to Phase 3: reticulocyte (ejection of nucleus and other organelles)
Leaving the bone marrow and entering the blood stream
*reticulocyte counts in the blood let us know the rate of RBC production
Day 15 or 16 : Mature RBC: Erythrocyte- center region collapses and the cell volume is less