Anatomy and
Physiology
Blood
http://www.google.com/imgres
Blood has several functions, according to its components: red
blood cells (rbc’s) carry oxygen, white blood cells (wbc’s)
protect against/fight infection, and platelets promote
clotting.
• Blood within an adult human is ~5 liters.
• Whole blood is heavier and more viscous than water.
• A hematocrit (HCT) is the percentage of blood cell volume
(generally 45%).
• The majority of cells are rbc’s, then wbc’s, and platelets
(considered fragments in the blood).
• 55% of blood is plasma, a watery substance mixed with
amino acids, macromolecules, electrolytes, vitamins,
hormones & wastes. This results in a straw colored
fluid.
• The percentage of blood volume varies: body size,
[fluid] and [electrolyte], and amount of adipose (fat).
http://www.nsbri.org/HumanPhysSpace/focus3/fig2.jpg
• Blood components can be
separated by centrifuging
them:
http://www.google.com/imgres
• plasma is the lightest (and
rests atop the rest), the buffy
coat is the middle layer of
cells containing wbc’s and
platelets while the bottommost layer contains the
rbc’s.
Blood Plasma:
• clear, straw colored fluid
• liquid portion of blood
• contains ~90% water & a
mix of dissolved chemicals
(macromolecules, vitamins,
electrolytes & wastes)
http://www.google.com/imgres
• proteins are the most
abundant of the dissolved
substances in plasma
• There are 3 groups of proteins: albumins, globulins,
and fibrinogen.
• albumins: smallest but majority of the plasma
proteins (by weight); regulate the movement of
water controlling blood volume & controlling b.p.
• globulins: transport lipids &fat soluble vitamins; 3
types: alpha, beta, gamma
• fibrinogen: largest but least of plasma proteins;
functions in blood coagulation (clumping)
Red Blood Cells:
• Transports gases, like O2
• a.k.a. erythrocytes
• concave disks (look like • Mature rbc’s lack nuclei
(no longer divide or
donuts with no hole).
produce proteins)
http://www.google.com/imgres
http://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/Notes/images/rbc.jpg
• Contains a protein,
hemoglobin (~1/3 of the rbc)
which is the reason rbc’s are
red
• When O2 binds with
hemoglobin, blood is bright
red; when rbc’s are O2
deficient, blood is dark (but
STILL RED).
• The average life span of a
rbc is ~120 days; however,
the blood cell count is stable.
http://www.google.com/imgres
• One test performed on blood is
a red blood cell count (a.k.a
RBCC or RCC).
RBCC:
• Used in discovering illness:
change in # of rbc’s affects the
amount of O2 being carried;
therefore, affecting the health of
an individual.
• Rbc’s are broken down by
macrophages in the liver &
spleen.
http://www.tpub.com/content/medical/14295/img/1429
5_275_2.jpg
• When rbc’s are broken down,
heme (an iron-containing
compound from hemoglobin) is
released.
http://www.monroecc.edu/depts/pstc/backup/heme.gif
• Rbc production is controlled by a negative feedback
mechanism: erythropoietin (a hormone) regulates rbc
formation.
• When O2 is deficient, the kidneys & liver release
erythropoietin to make rbc’s.
• Rbc production requires: vitamin B12, folic acid, and
iron.
• Anemia is a condition in which there are too few rbc’s
or too little hemoglobin. This condition results in
fatigue or lack of energy. Many women have this
condition due to menstruation or pregnancy.
• Look up anemia online or in text to see types.
White Blood Cells:
• a.k.a. leukocytes
• protect against disease, fight infection
• include 5 types which differ in size, cytoplasm, nuclei shape &
staining characteristics.
• These are broken into 2 groups: granulocytes (leukocytes with
granular cytoplasm) and agranulocytes (leukocytes without a
granular cytoplasm).
http://www.google.com/imgres
http://www.google.com/imgres
• are twice the size of a rbc
• contain granular cytoplasm
• are produced in the red bone marrow
• life span is ~12 hours
• include: Neutrophils, Basophils, and Eosinophils
Granulocytes
Neutrophils
•
Contain fine cytoplasmic granules
•
•
•
~54-62% of wbc’s in an adult blood sample.
contain lysosomes which perform phagocytosis (ingest
small particles); generally die b/c of the amount of toxins
ingested
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_mXDvZQ6dU
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Segmented_ne
utrophils.jpg/786px-Segmented_neutrophils.jpg
http://www.google.com/imgres
Eosinophils
•
uniformly sized cytoplasmic granules
•
~1-3% of wbc’s circulating.
•
kill specific parasites, control allergic reactions &
inflammation & are weakly phagocytic
http://www.jameswpattersonmd.com/images/pages/churg_strauss_
eosinophils.jpg
http://www.google.com/imgres
Basophils
•
irregularly shaped
cytoplasmic granules
•
less than 1% of
circulating wbc’s.
•
prevent blood clots by
releasing heparin (a
blood thinner) and
play a major role in
allergic reactions by
releasing histamine
(increases blood flow
to injured tissues)
http://cellbio.utmb.edu/microanatomy/blood/basophil.JPG
• no cytoplasmic granules
• include 2 types of wbc’s: Monocytes & Lymphocytes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDr44vLNnPY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvGVoxdy-yM&spfreload=1
Agranulocytes
Monocytes
•
•
•
•
•
•
life span ~weeks or months
nuclei vary in shape
largest of wbc’s (2-3X larger than rbc’s)
account for ~3-9% circulating wbc’s
produced in the red bone marrow
contain lysosomes which perform phagocytosis, engulfing large
particles. Generally die b/c of the amount of toxic material ingested
http://www.google.com/imgres
http://faculty.une.edu/com/abell/histo/monocyte.jpg
Lymphocytes
• life span ~years
• nuclei is large & round
• slightly larger than rbc’s
http://www.google.com/imgres
• ~25-33% of circulating wbc’s
• produced in the red bone
marrow & lymphatic system
organs
• produce antibodies providing
immunity.
http://www.unis.org/UNIScienceNet/RBCs+Lymphocytes.jpg
• There are 5 types of White Blood cells in circulation.
• From the majority of cells to the least amount of cells in
circulation: Neutrophils (N) Lymphocytes (L)
Monocytes (M) Eosinophils (E) Basophils (B)
• An acronym: Never Let My Eggs Break!
Brief Summary
White Blood Cells:
• A white blood cell count (WBCC) is a diagnostic test that
measures the amount of wbc’s in a sample of blood.
• Generally, a differential WBCC (DIFF) is performed. This is
a test that provides the %ages of wbc’s (types of leukocytes
in a sample of blood).
• Wbc’s are able to leave the blood & move by amboid motion
(self-propulsion)
Blood Platelets:
• a.k.a. thrombocytes
http://www.google.com/imgres
• considered cell fragments (incomplete cells)
• formed in the red bone marrow from
megakaryocytes (shatters like a plate, forming
platelets)
• lack nuclei (cannot produce
proteins or divide)
• life span ~10 days
• aid in blood clot formation
http://www.google.com/imgres
• This is a.k.a. blood cell formation
• Occurs in red bone marrow
• Erythropoietin (hormone) controls rbc production.
• Thrombopoietin (hormone) controls thrombocyte
production.
• Interleukins & colony stimulating factors (CSFs) control
wbc production.
Hematopoiesis:
• This is the stoppage of bleeding.
• When a blood vessel (bv) is cut, blood flows. Almost
immediately, a bv spasm, a.k.a. a vasospasm, occurs. This is
the constriction of a bv by the smooth muscles contracting,
slowing blood flow.
• This occurs in 3 steps: vascular spasm, platelet plug
formation, and coagulation.
Hemostasis
• A platelet plug is a
clump of platelets
that stick to the
collagen in connective
tissue (that has been
cut) and to each
other.
http://www.google.com/imgres
• This generally controls
blood loss (in small
breaks). Otherwise, a
clot must form to stop
bleeding.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images/ency/fullsize/19462.jpg
Blood Coagulation
• This causes a blood clot and is the result of clotting factors
(biochemicals that help or inhibit the formation of a clot).
• In normal bodies, anticoagulants do not allow blood to clot.
• However, when a clot forms (called formation), fibrinogen
forms fibrin (insoluble threads of protein).
• A blood clot forms from a series of events: prothrombin (a
normal component of plasma produced in the liver) is
converted to thrombin in the presence of Ca++.
• Thrombin then triggers a series of reactions that convert
fibrinogen into fibrin, causing a blood clot.
• Fibrin causes a meshwork
of threads that trap
platelets & blood cells,
forming a mass that stops
blood flow.
• Fibrin threads are
eventually dissolved and
the injury is healed.
• This is how bruises
(hematomas) are healed.
Hematomas are caused by
blood leaks within a
damaged tissue.
http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=98328&rendTypeId=4
• If a clot has filled a large area (large blood vessels), it is
usually surgically removed.
• Blood clots can form abnormally: this is called a
thrombus.
• If the clot dislodges from the bv, it is called an embolus.
Emboli may block blood flow in another bv and may
be fatal.
http://www.orlandoregional.org/StaywellImages/82812.jpg
http://images.webmd.com/images/hw/media69/medical/hw/h5
551195.jpg
• Coronary thrombosis is a blood
clot forming in the heart while a
cerebral thrombosis is a blood
clot forming in the brain.
• These kill the tissues in the area,
called an infarction, and can be
fatal.
• Infarctions can result in heart
attacks and strokes.
• A pulmonary embolism is a
traveling embolus that blocks a
bv of the lungs.
• Treatment of these are usually
plasminogen activators that
break up clots.
http://www.google.com/imgres
Blood Groups
• Agglutination: after a
transfusion of blood, a
clump of rbc’s form. This is
a result of antigens (surface
molecules on rbc’s) and
antibodies (proteins within
the plasma).
• There are 2 groups of
antigens: ABO group and Rh
group.
http://www.google.com/imgres
ABO group
• This is the presence or absence of antigens on the
surface of rbc’s.
• These antigens are A, B, or A and B.
• These are a direct result of the person’s blood type,
which is inherited.
• If a person has antigen A, then he has type A
blood; if a person has antigen B, then he has type B
blood; if a person has both antigens A and B, then
that person has type AB blood; if a person lacks
antigens, then the person has type O blood.
• If the person has type A blood, they have anti-B; this means
that the have antibodies against antigen B. What is the
significance of this? A person with type A blood cannot
receive type AB or type B blood receive type A or type O
blood.
Blood Type
A
B
AB
O
Antigen
A
B
A&B
none
Antibody
anti-B
anti-A
none
anti-A &B
Transfuse
A; O
B; O
A; B; AB; O
O
Blood Groups:
http://blogsci.com/images/ABO_blood_type.jpg
• This was named after the Rhesus monkey. These
are antigens (factors) in human blood (as well as
monkey blood).
• These antigens are inherited as well.
• When blood types are said to be Rh negative (Rh-),
there are no Rh antigens while if the blood type is
said to be Rh positive (Rh+), there is at least 1 type
of Rh antigen.
Rh Blood Group
Rh Incompatibility:
http://www.pennhealth.com/health_info/pregnancy/graphics/images/en/19789.jpg
http://www.pennmedicine.org/encyclopedia/em_DisplayPresentati
on.aspx?gcid=100217&ptid=3
THE END!
• This slide show was developed by Dana Halloran,
• Cardinal Mooney High School, Sarasota, FL.
• Used with her personal permission,
• adapted and amended by Rosa Whiting,
• Manatee School for the Arts, Palmetto, FL.