Blood Biology 11 S. MacInnes

Interesting Facts! During an average lifetime, your heart pumps enough blood to fill two large ocean tankers Every minute, 5 liters of blood cycles from the heart to the lungs Two million red blood cells die every second 7% of your body weight is made up of blood Blood is such a good stain that Native Americans used it for paint.

BLOOD Blood is the liquid tissue of transport in humans and other vertebrates. Blood is made up of cells floating in a liquid. Because it is liquid, blood can transport dissolved and suspended materials. The average human has 5.5 litres of blood. Blood cells include red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Functions of blood include… transport of life sustaining nutrients, O 2 hormones transport of cellular wastes such as CO 2 and urea. protection from disease (immunity) clotting maintaining constant body temperature helps with regulation of fluid levels in body

BLOOD The fluid part of blood is called PLASMA and makes up about 55% of the total volume; cells make up the remaining 45%. Plasma is a clear, straw-colored liquid consisting of about 93% water and 7% dissolved proteins.

RED BLOOD CELLS Red blood cells (aka erythrocytes) are the most common type of blood cell (about 5 million per cubic millimeter of blood). The major function of red blood cells is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the body’s cells and carry carbon dioxide from the cells to the lungs. Red blood cells do not have a nucleus

RED BLOOD CELLS Red blood cells only live for 120 days, therefore, they are continually being produced. Red blood cells contain an iron containing pigment called HAEMOGLOBIN which is responsible for carrying oxygen and gives the blood its red color. Each RBC contains 280 million molecules of haemoglobin! Animation: Red Blood Cells What might happen if a person’s iron is low?

WHITE BLOOD CELLS White blood cells are also known as LEUKOCYTES. There are two types, T and B, and they are part of the immune system. They help protect the body against infection by bacteria by making antibodies. They are produced in the bone marrow and mature in the thymus gland, the spleen and lymph nodes. They can live from a couple of hours to a couple of days. Animation: White Blood Cells

PLATELETS Platelets are cell fragments responsible for blood clotting. They use a special protein called fibrin and calcium to help the blood clot. They also do not have a nucleus and are produced from bone cells in the marrow. What might happen if a person was low in platelets?

BLOOD CLOT Animation: Blood clotting

BLOOD SUGAR While watching the following video, note what insulin is, what it does and how it does not function properly in diabetics: Blood Sugar Regulation & Diabetes

BLOOD TYPES Like the other cells in your body, blood cells have a protein marker (ANTIGEN) on their cell membrane. There are two types of blood antigens; A and B. A persons blood cells will therefore contain either A antigens ( type A blood), B antigens ( type B blood), both A and B antigens ( type AB blood), or no antigens ( type O blood).

BLOOD TYPES The antibodies produced by your immune system will recognize the antigens of your blood type. You can receive a transfusion as long as the blood contains the same antigens as your blood. If you receive the wrong blood type, your antibodies will attack the foreign antigens causing your blood to clump (“agglutinate”) resulting in death.

BLOOD TYPES Blood Type AntigenAntibod y Can Receive: AAanti-BA or O BBanti-AB or O ABA + BNoneA, B, AB, or O ONoneanti A & B only O

Blood Type Percentages in Various Regions of the World Blood TypeABABO Canada40.4%11.0%4.4%44.2% USA –white41%10.0%4.0%45% USA- black26.0%21.0%3.7%49.3% Japanese38.4%21.8%8.6%31.2% Hawaiian60.8%2.2%0.5%36.5% Chinese25.0%35.0%10.0%30.0% Australian Aborigine 44.7%2.1%0.0%53.1% Native North American 7.7%1.0%0.0%91.3%

Rh FACTOR Named after rhesus monkey. Comprises eight antigens some of which cause agglutination in blood transfusions. Blood with one or more of the antigens are Rh+ (85% of population). Blood with no antigens is Rh-.

Rh FACTOR Rh- antibodies do not develop until exposure to Rh+ blood. When Rh- person receive first Rh+ transfusion, antibodies develop but second transfusion results in a reaction! Rh+ people can receive both types of antibodies with no side effects.

Rh FACTOR If expecting Rh- mother has baby that has inherited fathers Rh+ blood, some of babies blood may result in formation of antibodies in mother’s blood shortly after delivery. Within 72 hours of birth, she MUST be injected with Rh- antibodies to distroy the Rh+ antigens for if she conceives a second Rh+ child, her antibodies will attack that babies blood!

BLOOD TYPING GAME Animation: Blood Typing Game (Nobel) For more information see the blood tutorials at the following link: Blood Tutorials