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Blood Composition DR Sallama

Blood is a connective tissue composed of plasma and formed elements like red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. It transports oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and waste throughout the body while also regulating pH, temperature, and fluid volume. Blood protects the body by clotting to prevent blood loss and utilizing antibodies and immune cells to fight infection. Plasma is the liquid portion that transports molecules, regulates capillary permeability, and contributes to coagulation, acid-base balance, and immune functions. Serum and plasma are prepared by allowing blood to clot and centrifuging to separate the cells.

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55 views5 pages

Blood Composition DR Sallama

Blood is a connective tissue composed of plasma and formed elements like red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. It transports oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and waste throughout the body while also regulating pH, temperature, and fluid volume. Blood protects the body by clotting to prevent blood loss and utilizing antibodies and immune cells to fight infection. Plasma is the liquid portion that transports molecules, regulates capillary permeability, and contributes to coagulation, acid-base balance, and immune functions. Serum and plasma are prepared by allowing blood to clot and centrifuging to separate the cells.

Uploaded by

Ahmed Ali Assaf
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Blood Physiology Dr Sallama Hamid

Consultant Lecturer Doctor

• Blood is the body's only fluid connective tissue , opaque ,red in


color ,leaves the heart via arteries that branch repeatedly until they
become capillaries.
• Oxygen (O2) and nutrients diffuse across capillary walls and enter
tissues.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) and wastes move from tissues into the blood.
• Oxygen-deficient blood leaves the capillaries and flows in veins to
the heart.
• This blood flows to the lungs where it releases CO2 and picks up O2.
• The oxygen-rich blood returns to the heart.

Composition of Blood
It is composed of :
1- liquid plasma
2- formed elements include:
1. Erythrocytes, or red blood cells (RBCs)
2. Leukocytes, or white blood cells (WBCs)
3. Platelets
Blood physical Characteristics and Volume
- Blood is a sticky, opaque fluid with a metallic taste.
- Color varies from scarlet (oxygen-rich) to dark red (oxygen-poor).
- Much more dense than pure water.
- The pH of blood is 7.35–7.45.
- Temperature is 38C(100.4 F), slightly higher than “normal” body
temperature.
- Blood accounts for approximately 8% of body weight.
- Average volume of blood is 5–6 L for males, and 4–5 L for females.

Functions of Blood
Blood performs a number of functions dealing with:
1.Distribution or transport : Blood transports:
• Oxygen from lungs and nutrients from digestive tract to the cells.
• Metabolic wastes from cells to the lungs(CO2) and kidneys
(nitrogenous) for elimination.
• Hormones from endocrine glands to target organs.
2.Regulation
Blood maintains:
1• Appropriate body temperature by absorbing and distributing heat.
2• Normal pH in body tissues using buffer systems ,the bicarbonate
atoms helps in maintaining a PH around 7.4 which is required for normal
cell functions.
3• Adequate fluid volume in the circulatory system.
3.Protection
1- Blood prevents blood loss by:
• Activating plasma proteins and platelets.
• Initiating clot formation when a vessel is broken.
2- Blood prevents infection by:
• Synthesizing and utilizing antibodies.
• Activating complement proteins.
• Activating WBCs to defend the body against foreign invaders.

Blood Plasma
 Plasma is the liquid fraction of whole blood , it is a part of
extracellular fluid of the body .
 It is complex non cellular fluid surrounding formed elements ,
proteins and electrolytes.
• Blood plasma makes up to 55% of normal blood volume ,water
constitutes 90% of plasma volume , plasma contains over 100
solutes, including:
• Proteins – albumin, globulins, fibrinogen . The average normal
concentrations are : 4.5 g/dl ,2.5g/dl,0.3g/dl ,respectively .
• Nonprotein nitrogenous substances – lactic acid, urea , creatinine.
• Organic nutrients – glucose, carbohydrates, amino acids.
• Electrolytes – sodium , potassium, calcium, chloride, bicarbonate,
phosphate, sulfate and others.
• Respiratory gases – oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Functions of plasma:
1-Transport of hormones , vitamins , minerals , and drugs . Examples:
albumin is a universal transporter , while other plasma proteins are
specific for transport of some substances like transferrin ( transport of
iron) , transcobalamine (transport of Vit. B12 ) , Apolipoprotein B
( transport of lipoproteins) .
2- Control of capillary permeability.
3- Contribution to acid-base- balance : Plasma proteins contribute to
about 15% of the buffering capacity of blood.
4- Contribution to regulation of arterial blood pressure , as follows:
* Plasma proteins contribute to blood viscosity , which is important in
production of peripheral resistance .
* Plasma proteins exert oncotic pressure , which tends to pull water
into the blood ( at capillary level) , which maintains the blood volume.
5- Blood coagulation : Most of clotting factors are plasma proteins.
6- Immune functions(circulating antibodies) .
7- Contribution to gas transport : Plasma proteins participate in CO2
transport in blood.
Serum preparation
Collect whole blood in a covered test tube. If commercially available
tubes are to be used, the researcher should use the red topped tube.
After collection of the whole blood, allow the blood to clot by
leaving it undisturbed at room temperature. This usually takes 15–30
minutes. Remove the clot by centrifuging at 1,000–2,000 x g for 10
minutes in a refrigerated centrifuge.
The resulting supernatant is designated serum. Following
centrifugation, it is important to immediately transfer the liquid
component (serum) into a clean polypropylene tube using a Pasteur
pipette.

The samples should be maintained at 2–8°C while handling.


If the serum is not analyzed immediately, the serum should be
apportioned into 0.5 ml , stored, and transported at –20°C or lower.

It is important to avoid freeze-thaw cycles because this is detrimental


to many serum components.
Samples which are hemolysed, icteric or lipemic can invalidate
certain tests.

Plasma preparation
Collect whole blood into commercially available anticoagulant-
treated tubes e.g., EDTA-treated (lavender tops) or citrate-treated (light
blue tops). Heparinized tubes (green tops) are indicated for some
applications; however, heparin can often be contaminated with endotoxin,
which can stimulate white blood cells to release cytokines.

Cells are removed from plasma by centrifugation for 10 minutes at


1,000–2,000 x g using a refrigerated centrifuge. Centrifugation for 15
minutes at 2,000 x g depletes platelets in the plasma sample.
The resulting supernatant is designated plasma. Following
centrifugation, it is important to immediately transfer the liquid
component (plasma) into a clean polypropylene tube using a Pasteur
pipette.

The samples should be maintained at 2–8°C while handling. If the


plasma is not analyzed immediately, the plasma should be apportioned
into 0.5 ml, stored, and transported at –20°C or lower.

It is important to avoid freeze-thaw cycles.


Samples which are hemolysed, icteric, or lipemic can invalidate
certain tests.

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