COMPOSITION OF THE BLOOD

Blood

  • liquid tissue

  • medium of circulation in the body

  • transport materials

  • fight infections

2 Parts of the Blood

Plasma

  • liquid part

  • compromises 55% of blood by weight

  • pale-colored

  • water, blood, proteins, and inorganic materials

Corpuscles

  • solid part

  • compromises 45% of blood by weight

  • manufactured within the red bone marrow (myeloid tissue)

  • form the red blood cells, white blood cells and blood platelets

THE DIFFERENT FORMED ELEMENTS

Red Blood Cells (RBCs) or erythrocytes

  • transports gases, especially oxygen, to all parts of the body

  • shaped like a biconcave disk

  • do not have a nucleus (anucleated)

  • red color is due to hemoglobin

  • Hemoglobin- carry and transport oxygen in the blood

White Blood Cells (WBCs) or leukocytes

  • fight infections

  • produce antibodies and engulfing foreign bodies (phagocytes)

  • shape is irregular (amorphous)

  • they are nucleated

Two Types of WBCs

Granulocytes

  • has granules in the cytoplasm

  • basophil, neutrophil, eosinophil

Agranulocytes

  • lack granules in the cytoplasm

  • monocytes, lymphocytes

Note:

Basophil

  • involved in allergic response

Neutrophil

  • fight bacteria, fungi, foreign debris

Eosinophil

  • clean parasites, cancer cells, and involved in allergic response

Monocytes

  • clean up damaged cells

Lymphocytes

  • help fight viruses and make antibodies

Blood Platelets (thrombocytes)

  • amorphous

  • not real cells

  • fragments of the stem cell in the red bone marrow

  • cannot be seen in fresh blood

  • disintegrate upon contact with air

  • as platelets disintegrate the blood clotting process happens

The Different Blood Groups

Karl Landsteiner

  • Austrian scientist at the University of Vienna

  • In the 1900, he discovered the four different blood groups

  • got the Noble Prize in Medicine in 1930 for his work

Blood Groups

ABO Blood Relationship

  • Your blood group is determined by the genes you inherited from your parents

  1. Blood Type A

    • Has antigen A in the red blood cell and antibody B in the plasma

  2. Blood Type B

    • Has antigen B in the red blood cells and antibody A in the plasma

  3. Blood Type AB

    • Has both antigens A and B in the red blood cell and no A or B antibodies in the plasma

  4. Blood Type O

    • Has neither A nor B antigens in the red blood cell but has both A and B antibodies in the plasma

Antigens and Antibodies are responsible for these blood types

Antigens- these are found in the red blood cells plasma membrane

Antibodies- these are found in the blood plasma

Blood Type O

  • referred as the universal donor

  • will not be rejected when given to people with blood type A, B, and AB

  • can only receive blood from another blood type O

Blood Type AB

  • referred as the universal recipients

  • their blood will not discriminate against any blood type

  • they lack antibodies

  • their blood shouldn’t be given to other blood types since it will clump or agglutinate

  • it has both antigens

The Rh or “D” Blood Factor

  • the second most significant blood group in humans

  • consist of 50 antigens

  • antigens are located in the plasma membrane of the RBCs

  • “Rh” means Rhesus from the Rhesus monkey

Antigen D

  • considered as the most significant

  • triggers the body’s immune response

  • most common

  • if you have a D antigen, there’s a “+” after your ABO blood type

  • if you don’t have a D antigen, there’s a “-” after your ABO blood type

Rh+

  • people who have Rh antigens

  • can receive blood from a person with Rh-

Rh-

  • people who don’t have Rh antigens

  • does not have Rh antibodies in their plasma

  • can develop Rh antibodies in the blood plasma if they receive blood from a person with Rh+ blood

  • cannot receive blood from an Rh+ blood type person

The ABO and Rh systems are the most important bases used for blood transfusion.

Mixing incompatible blood groups lead to blood clumping or agglutination

  • The agglutinated or clumped blood clogs blood vessels and stops the circulation of blood to various parts of the body which could cause fatal consequences for the person.

Antigens

  • either sugar or proteins

  • attached to various components in the RBC’s membranes

  • induces the formation of antibodies

  • recognized by the immune system as a threat

  • antigens of the ABO blood group are sugars

  • produced by a series of reactions in which enzymes catalyze the transform of sugar units

Antibodies

  • proteins that protect you when an unwanted substance enters your immune system

  • bind to these unwanted substances in order to eliminate them

  • another word is immunoglobulin

Blood Clotting

  • coagulation plays a vital role in the repair of blood vessels