Erythopoiesis

- The process of red blood cell creation

Characteristics of R.B.C.

- Bi-concaved shape
- No nucleus
- Released from bone-marrow
- 7 days of maturing
- 100-120 days life span
- 2 mil. Released per second
- EPO (erythropoietin) – needed, produced in kidney

Why does it take longer to the R.B.C. to get from our toes to the heart than
the other way around?

- More capillaries in the lower limbs – takes more time to oxygenate

- Gravity
- When takes over CO2 it becomes much more heavier (CO2 is heavier than O2)
- The R.B.C. is colder and it needs more energy to move ->vasoconstriction
o Vasoconstriction – the lumen in the veins is thinner

Senescence (aging of red blood cel)

- Occurs because the enzymes and proteins in the R.B.C. are deformed and worn out so the
R.B.C. cannot
- Eryptosis – specific term of death – reticuloendothelial system
o If they don’t carry any oxygen, they are trapped by the reticuloendothelial system,
because they might be too fast or too slow etc.

Why are RBCs red?

- Contain hemoglobin (heme and globin)
- The globin contains 4 protein chains (quartenary protein structure)
o Alpha 1, Aplha 2, Beta 1, Beta 2
o It has completely the same shape as all the other molecules of globin in the world
(miracle)
o Globin is just a supportive means for heme
o Heme is a coloring with a specific pH
o HbA (Adult hemoglobin), HbF (Fetal hemoglobin)
o As soon as we’re born, HbF is changed to HbA
 Children’s RBC (in prenatal) are 200x more effectual than in adults, because
it needs more oxygen to survive
 o The partial pressure causes the conformational change of hemoglobin and less
hemes are exposed and therefore the RBC are “lazier”

White Blood Cells

- Neutrophil
- Eosinophil
- Basophil
o Contain granula (small particles, vesicles) with enzymes
 Granulocytes (as they carry granula)
- Monocyte
- Lymphocyte
o Agranulocytes (no granula inside)

- Monocytes
 Canine (dog)
 Equine (horse)
 Fetine (cat)
 Bavine (cow)
- Produced by bone-marrow
- Capable of phagocytosis
- Half of them stored in spleen (slezina) – that’s why snowboarders are the no.1 in the spleen
injuries – when falling, they do some kind of specific torsion of body, which causes the
muscles to hurt the spleen
- Move very quickly – 5mm/s

Lymphocytes

- Responsible for the immune reaction

- T-lymphocytes
- B-lymphocytes
- B-lymphocytes produce immunoglobulines that attach to the receptors of the cell and
therefore preventing pathogens from attaching the cells

Neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils

Neutrophil granulocytes are generally referred to as either neutrophils or polymorphonuclear

neutrophils (or PMNs), and are subdivided into segmented neutrophils (or segs) and banded
neutrophils (or bands). Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cells in mammals and
form an essential part of the innate immune system. They form part of the polymorphonuclear cell
family (PMNs) together with basophils and eosinophils.[1][2][3])

The name, neutrophil, derives from staining characteristics

on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)histological or cytological preparations. Whereas basophilic white
blood cells stain dark blue andeosinophilic white blood cells stain bright red, neutrophils stain a neutral
pink. Normally neutrophils contain a nucleus divided into 2-5 lobes.

Neutrophils are normally found in the blood stream. During the beginning (acute) phase
ofinflammation, particularly as a result of bacterial infection and some cancers,[4][5] neutrophils are one
of the first-responders of inflammatory cells to migrate toward the site of inflammation. They migrate
through the blood vessels, then through interstitial tissue, following chemical signals such
as Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and C5a in a process called chemotaxis. They are the predominant cells inpus,
accounting for its whitish/yellowish appearance.

Neutrophils are recruited to the site of injury within minutes following trauma and are the hallmark of
acute inflammation.[6]

- Eosinophil
o Bone-marrow and found in another organs
o Kill bacteria and other organisms (parasites)
o Eosinophil attaches to the surface of the parasite and excrete some particular
substance that kills the parasites
- Basophils
o 0,01% of all the blood cells
o Important in inflammatory and allergic reactions
o Stained by base chemicals
o Stores the histamine that’s why the people who suffer with allergic reactions take
antihistamine pills
o Also contains heparin, so the blood doesn’t clot
o When a tissue starts to inflame, lots of basophils congregate there, because they
bind with a chemical called IgE
1) Fight bacterial infections – N
2) Death of many result in pus – N
3) Fight parasitic infection - E
4) These are the most abundant - N
5) Many during allergic reactions - B
6) Release histamine (causing inflammation) – B

Platelets
- Only fragments of cells, not cells’
- Participate in blood clotting process – coagulation
- Blood clotting depends on the presence of:
o Blood clotting factors (proteins present in our plasma)
o Fibrin
- Oxygen causes vasoconstriction
o When you cut your finger, the oxygen emerges
o B.c. factors present in inactive form
o Activated in complex cascade reaction (domino effect)
o Change of the last blood clotting factor to its active form causes the change of
fibrinogen into FIBRIN (Factor X – inactive; Factor X a – its active form)
o Fibrin then forms a thread web where other blood elements are trapped and create
the blood clot
o Why is this process so complicated?
 Because otherwise we could form blood clots at almost any opportunity,
which would be lethal for us (25 steps)
o http://blog.beliefnet.com/scienceandthesacred/coagulation_cascade.jpg

- FVII leaves the circulation and comes into the contact with tissue factor (TF)
- This activates FIX and FX
- FVII is itself activated by thrombin, FXIa, FXII and FXa
- FXa

- Each blood cell can have different ancestor