HISTOLOGY of BLOOD and LYMPH FORMED ELEMENTS of BLOOD

MICRO-HSB RED BLOOD CELLS (Erythrocytes)

Dr. Sarah D. Dalisay - Lacks nuclei and completely filled with the O2-carrying
protein hemoglobin
- Flexible biconcave discs
BLOOD - Rouleaux formation
- Specialized connective tissue in which cells are suspended • RBCs stick together like a pile of coins
in fluid extracellular material called PLASMA Females- 3.9 – 5.5 million per microliter (μL or mm3)
- transports O2, CO2, metabolites, hormones, and other Males- 4.1 – 6.0 million per microliter (μL or mm3)
substances to cells throughout the body - PLASMALEMMA: 40% lipid, 10% carbohydrate, and 50%
- Participates in heat distribution protein
- Regulation of body temperature - Anaerobic glycolysis
- Maintenance of acid-base and osmotic balance - 120 days life span
- Immunity (Leukocytes) - Lacks all organelles
- HEMOGLOBIN: O2 carrying capacity
Made up of 2 parts: Hgb content = HYPERCHROMIC
1. Plasma – fluid portion Hgb content = HYPOCHROMIC
2. Cellular/formed elements HEMATOCRIT: volume of RBC with respect to the volume
• RBC of the whole blood
• WBC - Differences in size:
• PLATELETS MICROCYTE- smaller
Color of blood: MACROCYTE- bigger
▪ Arterial- bright red - Differences in shape: POIKILOCYTOSIS
▪ Venous- dark red RETICULOCYTES
- Immature RBCs
Total volume: - released from the BM
▪ 7 - 8% (1/14) of BW - Contain:
✓ Mitochondria
Average volume: ✓ Ribosomes
▪ Males: 5.1 – 6 liters ✓ Golgi elements
▪ Females: 4.5 liters - Becomes mature after
48 hours of release
3L = plasma (55% of total quantity of blood) - Rate of reticulocyte release = rate of removal of spent
2L = cellular elements- primarily RBC (45% of total quantity of blood) RBCs by spleen & liver

ANEMIA
PLASMA (7.4 pH) - Condition where concentration of RBCs are below the
- Dissolved components are mostly plasma proteins normal range
also include: - S/Sx:
✓ Nutrients ✓ Lethargy
✓ respiratory gases ✓ Shortness of breath
✓ nitrogenous waste products ✓ Fatigue
✓ hormones ✓ Skin pallor
✓ inorganic ions (electrolytes) ✓ Cardiac palpitations
- Causes:
ALBUMIN ✓ Insufficient RBC production
- maintain the osmotic pressure of the blood ✓ Blood loss

ERYTHROCYTOSIS/POLYCYTHEMIA
Alpha & Beta GLOBULIN - Increased concentration of erythrocytes in blood
- Transport lipids, metal ions, iron ions in bloodstream - Physiologic adaptation
GAMMA GLOBULIN - individuals who live at high altitudes, where O2
- antibodies for immune functions tension is low
FIBRINOGEN - Elevated hematocrit:
- blood coagulation ✓ increases blood viscosity
- precursor of fibrin ✓ putting strain on the heart
COMPLEMENT PROTEIN ✓ if severe: can impair circulation through the
- important in inflammation capillaries
- destruction of microorganism

M. D.
(Matabang Doktor)
SICKLE CELL DISEASE - Role in inflammatory response
- Inherited alteration of haemoglobin molecule - Restore normal tissue microenvironment
- mutation of one nucleotide (a point mutation) in the gene - First line of defense against invasion by
for the hemoglobin β chain pathogenic bacteria
- Sickled erythrocyte - Short-lived
✓ less flexible - Half-life of 6 to 8 hours
✓ more fragile - Life span of 4 days in connective tissue
✓ shortened life span that can lead to anemia - Azurophilic primary granules
(Myeloperoxidase, lysozyme, defensin)
✓ increases the blood viscosity
resemble:
✓ can damage the wall of blood vessels, promoting
✓ lysosomes as large
blood coagulation ✓ dense vesicles
✓ have a major role in both killing and
degrading engulfed microorganisms
WHITE BLOOD CELLS (Leukocytes)
Myeloperoxidase
- Key players in the defense against invading
• Generates hypochlorite other agents toxic to
microorganisms, and in the repair of injured tissues
bacteria
- Adults have 4500 to 11,000 leukocytes per microliter of
Lysozyme
blood
• Degrades components of bacterial cell wall
- MAJOR GROUPS: Defensins
✓ GRANULOCYTES • Cysteine- rich proteins that bind and disrupt cell
- neutrophils, eosinphils, basophils membranes of bacteria
- Lysosomes and specific - Specific secondary granules smaller and less
granules dense, stain faintly pink
- Polymorphic nuclei ✓ Secretion of ECM-degrading enzymes
✓ AGRANULOCYTES such as collagenases
- lymphocytes, monocytes ✓ Delivery of additional bactericidal
- (-) specific granules proteins to the phagolysosomes
- (+) azurophilic granules ✓ Insertion of new cell membrane
(lysosomes) components
b. EOSINOPHILS
GRANULOCYTES - 1% to 4% of leukocytes
- Polymorphic nuclei with two or more distinct - bilobed nucleus
(almost separated) nuclear lobes - main identifying characteristic is the abundance
- life span: few days. of large, acidophilic specific granules typically
- Golgi complexes and rough ER: poorly staining pink or red
developed - Allergy
- mitochondria: few - Kill parasitic worms and helminths
- Glycolysis - EOSINPHILIA
- 2 major cytoplasmic granules: - increase in the number of eosinophils
1. LYSOSOMES (often called azurophilic in blood
granules in blood cells) - Associated with allergic reactions and
2. SPECIFIC GRANULES helminth parasitic infections.
- found in connective tissues underlying
a. NEUTROPHILS (Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes) epithelia of
- 50% to 70% of circulating leukocytes ✓ bronchi
- circulating immature forms raise this value by 3% ✓ gastrointestinal tract, uteru
to 5% ✓ vagina
- 12-15 μm in diameter ✓ surrounding any parasitic
- nuclei: two to five lobes linked by thin nuclear worms present
extensions c. BASOPHILS
- cytoplasmic granules: relatively sparse and - 12 -15 um in diameter
have heterogeneous staining properties - <1% in blood
- Active phagocytes of bacteria and other small - nucleus is divided into two irregular lobes
particles - large specific granules overlying the nucleus
- First leukocytes to arrive at sites of infection usually obscure its shape
- Increased in: - Supplement functions of mast cells
✓ Acute infection
✓ bacterial infections

M. D.
(Matabang Doktor)
 - Both basophil and mast cells have LEUKOCYTES
Metachromatic granules containing heparin and
histamine, have surface receptors for
Immunoglobulin E (IgE)
- Increased in:
✓ hay fever
✓ asthma
✓ allergic dermatitis

AGRANULOCYTES
- Do not have specific granules, but they do
contain azurophilic granules (lysosomes).
- Nucleus is spherical or indented but not
lobulated.
a. LYMPHOCYTES
- smallest leukocytes and are abundant
- Spherical nuclei
- Diverse roles in immune defenses against
invading microorganism and certain parasites or
abnormal cells
- Increased in:
✓ Chronic infection
✓ Viral infection
- Major classes:
B lymphocytes: humoral immunity
Helper and Cytotoxic T lymphocytes: cell
mediated immunity ( 80 % ), longer life
Natural killer (NK) cells
GRANULOCYTES:
- Small - similar to RBC’s
NEUTROPHIL EOSINOPHIL BASOPHIL
✓ Spherical nuclei
✓ Highly condensed chromatin
✓ Scanty cytoplasm
- Large (activated lymphocytes or NK cells)
✓ 9 to 18 um)
✓ Slightly indented nuclei More cytoplasm
✓ Few azurophilic granules
LYMPHOMAS
- Group of disorders involving neoplastic
AGRANULOCYTES:
proliferation of lymphocytes or the failure of these
LYMPHOCYTE MONOCYTE
cells to undergo apoptosis.
- slow- growing
- all lymphomas are considered malignant
because they can very easily become widely
spread throughout the body.

b. MONOCYTES
- Precursor cells of macrophages, osteoclasts,
microglia, and other cells of the mononuclear
phagocyte system in connective tissue
- Antigen presenting cells
- Important in immune defense of tissues
- 12 to 15 μm
- nucleus: large, indented (C shaped)
- chromatin: Less condensed than lymphocytes
- Cytoplasm: basophilic and contains many small
lysosomal azurophilic granules
PLATELETS (Thrombocytes)
- Very small nonnucleated, membrane-bound cell
fragments only 2 to 4 μm in diameter
- Originates from MEGAKARYOCYTES
- Normal platelet counts range from 150,000 to
400,000/μL (mm3) of blood.
- Circulating platelets have a life span of about 10
days.
- Clumps
- Discoid

M. D.
(Matabang Doktor)
 HYALOMERE
-
✓ Lightly stained peripheral zone LYMPH
- GRANULOMERE Colorless fluid – collected from tissues and
-
✓ Dark-staining central zone containing later returned to blood
granules - Consists of:
- Promote blood clotting ✓ Plasma – similar to that of blood but
- help repair minor tears or leaks in the walls of lesser constitution; carries carbonic
small blood vessels, preventing loss of blood acid but very little O2
from the microvasculature ✓ Cellular elements
THROMBOCYTOPENIA ▪ Lymphocytes - chief cellular
- Lack of circulating platelets element
- Leads to: bleeding tendency ▪ Granulocytes (few)
THROMBOCYTOSIS * No RBCs nor platelets seen*
- Excess of platelets - During digestion lymph from intestines is filled
- Leads to: risk of inappropriate blood clotting with lipid containing chylomicron becomes milky
(thrombosis) white known as chyle
PLATELETS - Like venous blood, lymph flows toward the heart
and drains into 2 Main Lymphatic Ducts:
✓ (R) Main Lymphatic duct
✓ Thoracic duct
*Both empty into Innominate veins to
enter into the venous circulation
LYMPH VASCULAR SYSTEM
- Network of drainage vessels for returning excess
extravascular fluid, LYMPH
- Transport lymph to lymph nodes for
immunological screening
COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT - No central pumping system
1. WHITE BLOOD CELL (WBC) COUNT - Dependent on smooth muscle fibers in vessel
WBC DIFFERENTIAL walls
WBC TYPE DIFF. COUNT (%) INCREASE FILARIASIS
NEUTROPHIL 50-70 BACTERIAL INFECTION - A parasitic disease caused by microscopic,
EOSINOPHIL 1-4 PARASITIC INFECTION thread-like worms
BASOPHIL 0.5-1 ALLERGY - Adult worms only live in human lymphatic system
LYMPHOCYTE 20-40 CHRONIC & VIRAL INF. - Spread from person to person by mosquitoes
MONOCYTE 2-8

2. RED BLOOD CELL (RBC) COUNT

• Women: 3.9 to 5.5 million per microliter
• Men: 4.1 to 6.0 million per microliter
HEMATOCRIT (HCT/Packed cell volume (PCV)
- Refers to the volume of RBC with respect to the
volume of the whole blood.
HEMOGLOBIN
- How much hemoglobin is present in the blood
and reflects the capacity of the blood to carry
oxygen
RED BLOOD CELL INDICES
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
- Size of RBC
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH)
- Quantity of hemoglobin present in a red blood
cell
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)
- Proportion of hemoglobin in an RBC
RED BLOOD CELL DISTRIBUTION
- Measures RBC shape and size variability

3. PLATELET COUNT

M. D.
(Matabang Doktor)