Blood Its “Bloody” Awesome!

Introduction to Blood Blood is the fluid component to the cardiovascular system It is a connective tissue because it contains a ground substance, specialized cells and extracellular proteins It circulates around the body to provide nutrients and transport wastes

Introduction to Blood Blood has several specific jobs Transporting dissolved gasses Regulating pH and ion concentrations Carrying nutrients Restricting fluid loss at injury sites Defense of the body Stabilizing body temperature

Introduction to Blood There are between 4 – 6 liters of blood in your body Females are normally between 4 and 5 Males are normally between 5 and 6 However body size does play a large role in the amount of blood needed

Introduction to Blood Blood has two different main components Plasma is the fluid matrix of blood (46%-63%) It contains proteins, solutes and water Formed elements are blood cells and cell fragments that suspended in plasma (37%-54%)

Introduction to Blood You may be wondering why there was such a large variation of percentages for plasma and formed elements This is because the percentage of whole blood volume that is formed elements (the hematocrit) is different for each person Gender, diet, age, hydration levels and pregnancy all play with the numbers

Plasma Plasma is made up of three major divisions Plasma proteins (~7%) are mostly released by the liver These proteins are generally large and globular in nature They do not normally cross capillary walls They can bind to molecules, clot blood and help regulate osmotic pressure

Plasma Plasma contains a large number of dissolved particles 2. Solutes (~1%) make up a small amount of blood but have a large impact These solutes can be used in ATP production, help cellular activities and be the waste products of cellular activities

Plasma 3. Water makes up a large volume of plasma (~92%) While water may not seem to be a large part of blood, it is important in several ways It regulates the viscosity of the blood, allows passive transport and supplies H2O for various cell processes

Formed Elements Formed elements also have three different parts Platelets account for a small percentage of formed elements (<.1%) but play a large role These play a huge role in the clotting of blood

Formed Elements Formed elements are made mostly of red blood cells 2. Erythrocytes (RBCs) are the cells that are specialized for the transport of oxygen in the blood They account for 99.9% of the formed elements within the blood They contain a molecule called hemoglobin that binds O2 and CO2

Formed Elements The other small fractions of formed elements are white blood cells 3. Leukocytes (WBCs) make up a small total of formed elements (<.1%) but are essential in the body’s defense There are five major categories of leukocytes

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Hemoglobin Hemoglobin is a protein that makes up 95% of a RBCs proteins It is responsible for carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide within the RBC Each RBC contains about 280 million molecules of hemoglobin

Hemoglobin Hemoglobin oxygen concentrations are directly proportional to the level of oxygen within the plasma When plasma oxygen levels are low, hemoglobin will release oxygen In the spots where oxygen used to be, CO2 is taken up This happens near oxygen needy cells

Hemoglobin When oxygen levels in the plasma are high, hemoglobin will release CO2 and take up O2 This happens most commonly in the lungs when oxygen rich air is directly transported into the blood stream

Hemoglobin The level of hemoglobin within the blood is important Without proper levels of hemoglobin, the body cannot get enough O2 to the cells that need it most Low hemoglobin levels are called anemia and can result in weakness, lethargy and confusion Normal hemoglobin levels are 14- 18 g/dL in males and 12-16 g/dL in females This is what you get tested when you give blood

How It’s Made We previously learned that RBCs were made by red marrow However, the story is a bit more detailed than that The formation, functionality and removal of RBCs is a system that requires multiple steps and organ systems

How It’s Made RBCs undergo severe stress A round trip circulation from the heart and back is generally under a minute This creates scenarios where they are damaged over time New RBCs are needed to replace ones that have been damaged RBCs are replaced ~120 days into their circulation They can travel 700 miles in this short span

How It’s Made When the cell membrane is damaged or other physical damage happens to the RBC, phagocytes attach to it These large molecules will engulf the RBC and recycle the important components The iron is released so it can be reincorporated into the marrow

How It’s Made The remainder of the hemoglobin molecule eventually gets turned into bilirubin Bilirubin is an orange and yellow pigment that is an important component in bile Bile is formed in the liver and is important in the digestion of fats

How It’s Made If there are any problems absorbing the bilirubin or if there is a malfunction in the bile ducts, jaundice is seen Jaundice is a typical indicator of liver problems and is easily seen when yellow coloring is seen in the skin and eyes It can be an indicator that severe problems are happening It can also happen in newborns that are not efficient at recycling RBCs

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