Blood Flashcards
What are the 4 main components in blood
Plasma
Red blood cells
White blood cells
Platelets
What are the 6 components of plasma
Water
Ions
Proteins
Nutrients
Wastes
Gases
How much of the blood do erythrocytes make up
40-45%
What do red blood cells do
Deliver oxygen to tissues using haemoglobin
What shape do red blood cells have
They are biconcave to maximise surface area
What do mature red blood cells not have
No nuclei or organelles
What hormone stimulates red blood cells
Erythropoietin for red blood cell synthesis
How long do red blood cells live for
100-120 days
What is essential for oxygen binding
Iron in the haemoglobin
How many molecules of oxygen can haemoglobin bind to
4 O2 molecules
What happens to the red blood cells with sickle cell disease
They get trapped
What is the life expectancy of someone with sickle cell disease
40-60
How does sickle cell disease occur
Form a change of one base in beta globin gene - replacing a hydrophilic amino acid (glutamate) with a hydrophobic one (valine)
What are platelets also known as
Thrombocytes
What is the main role of platelets
They plug holes in blood vessels and send signals to continue the clotting process
What is thrombocytopenia
A low platelet count (below 50,000)
What are white blood cells also known as
Leukocytes
Where do white blood cells come from
Multipotent (type of stem cell) in the bone marrow
What do white blood cells have that red blood cells don’t have
A nuclei
What percentage of white blood cells are neutrophil
62%
What percentage of white blood cells are basophil
0.4%
What percentage of white blood cells are eosinophil
2.3%
What percentage of white blood cells are monocyte
5.3%
What percentage of white blood cells are lymphocytes
30%
What do B-cells do
Release antibodies and activate T cells
What do T cells do
Activate and regulate T and B cells
Target virus infected and tumour cells
Prevent autoimmunity
What do neutrophils target
Bacteria and fungi
What do eosinophil target
Parasites and modulate allergic inflammation
What do basophil do
Release histamine during inflammatory response
What do monocyte do
Move into tissues where they differentiate into macrophages or dendritic cells
What do lymphocytes do
Natural killer cells target virus infected and tumour cells
