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Lecture-2 Red Blood Cell

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10 views

Lecture-2 Red Blood Cell

Uploaded by

aksam.safoan.008
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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: Properties, composition and

function

Part-I: Red blood cells

BCH201
Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify the primary
functions of blood in transportation, defense, and maintenance of
homeostasis
Name of the fluid component of blood and the three major types of
formed elements, and identify their relative proportions in a blood
sample
Discuss the unique physical characteristics of blood

link:
https://opentextbc.ca/anatomyandphysiology/chapter/an-overview-of-blood/
Overall properties of human blood
 Approximately 8% of an adult's body weight is made up of blood.
 Females have around 4-5 litres, while males have around 5-6
litres.
 Its mean temperature is 38 ͦ C

 It has a pH of 7.35-7.45, making it slightly basic.

 Whole blood is about 4.5-5.5 times as viscous as water, indicating


that it is more resistant to flow than water. This viscosity is vital
to the function of blood because if blood flows too easily or with
too much resistance, it can strain the heart and lead to severe
cardiovascular problems.

 Blood in the arteries is a brighter red than blood in the veins


because of the higher levels of oxygen found in the arteries.
Blood properties and functions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRh_dAzXuoU
Functions of blood
 Blood has three main functions: transport, protection and regulation.
Transport
 Blood transports the following substances:
 Gases, namely oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2), between the lungs
and rest of the body
 Nutrients from the digestive tract and storage sites to the rest of the body
 Waste products to be detoxified or removed by the liver and kidneys.
 Hormones from the glands in which they are produced to their target cells
 Heat to the skin so as to help regulate body temperature
 Protection:
Blood has several roles in inflammation:

Leukocytes, or white blood cells, destroy invading microorganisms and cancer


cells

Antibodies and other proteins destroy pathogenic substances

Platelet factors initiate blood clotting and help minimise blood loss
Regulation:

Blood helps regulate:

pH by interacting with acids and bases

Water balance by transferring water to and from tissue

Ref: Text Book of Medical Physiology by Gyton and Hall (11 th edition)
Composition of blood
Red Blood Cells (Erythrocyte)

 About 4.8 million of these cells per microliter [µl]) of blood.


 Men average about 5.4 x 106 per µl.
 These values can vary over quite a range depending on such factors as hea
and altitude. (Peruvians living at 18,000 feet may have as many as 8.3 x 1
RBCs per µl.)
 RBC precursors mature in the bone marrow closely attached to a
macrophage.
 They manufacture hemoglobin until it accounts for some 90% of the dry
weight of the cell.
 All the mitochondria as well as the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi
apparatus are destroyed.
 No-longer-needed proteins are expelled from the cell in vesicles called
exosomes.
 Thus RBCs are terminally differentiated; that is, they can
never divide. They live about 120 days and then are ingested
by phagocytic cells in the liver and spleen. Most of the iron in
their hemoglobin is reclaimed for reuse. The remainder of the
heme portion of the molecule is degraded into bile pigments
and excreted by the liver. Some 3 million RBCs die and are
scavenged by the liver each second.
RBC

 RBCs are denser than plasma, and so become packed into the
bottom of the tube to make up 45% of total volume. This
volume is known as the haematocrit. WBCs and platelets form
a narrow cream-coloured coat known as the buffy coat
immediately above the RBCs. Finally, the plasma makes up
the top of the tube, which is a pale yellow colour and contains
just under 55% of the total volume.
 Problem: A patient’s hematocrit is 41 percent. Approximately
what percentage of the patient’s blood is plasma?
Functions of RBC
Red blood cells are responsible for the transport of oxygen and carbon
dioxide.
Oxygen transport
In adult humans the hemoglobin (Hb) molecule
consists of four polypeptides:
 two alpha (α) chains of 141 amino acids and
 two beta (β) chains of 146 amino acids
To each of these is attached the prosthetic group
heme.
There is one atom of iron at the center of each heme.
One molecule of oxygen can bind to each heme.
MCQ
1. What would happen to red blood cells if the haem group were
removed from haemoglobin?
a) Red blood cells would not be able to bind oxygen.
b) Red blood cells would not be able to reproduce.
c) White blood cells would not be able to reproduce.
d) Blood clot formation would be inhibited.

2.Which of the following statement is correct about the


erythrocytes?
a)They fight infection
b)They clot blood
c)They do not have nucleus
d)They are formed in the spleen
MCQ

3. The percentage of total volume used to


determine the number of erythrocytes in a blood
sample is referred to as the
a) Red blood cells count
b) Reticulocyte count
c) Haematocrit
d) ESR
Critical thinking question

 Why number of RBCs are more in people


living in high altitude ?
Answers MCQ
 1. Red blood cells would not be able to bind
oxygen.
 2. They do not have nucleus
 3. Haematocrit

 Answer to the critical thinking questions


 Because at high altitude oxygen level is low
and for that reason body of the people there
synthesize more RBC to get sufficient oxygen.

.

Thank you

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