Blood

• Consists of
– Cells suspended in a fluid that flow in a
regular unidirectional movement within
the closed circulatory system

• Normal blood volume

– In adults: 5.5 liters
 Blood Components
• Plasma

• Formed or cellular
components
 Plasma
• Yellowish translucent, slightly viscous fluid
• Plasma proteins and elements
• If plasma is allowed to clot, a clear yellow
liquid called serum separates from the
coagulum
 Plasma
Protein Components
• Albumin
– 58 % of serum proteins
– Formed in the liver
– Functions
• maintenance of blood volume by
providing colloid osmotic pressure
• pH and electrolyte balance
• transport of metal ions, fatty acids,
steroids, hormones and drugs
 Plasma
Protein Components
• Globulins
– 37% of serum proteins
– Formed by the liver and lymphoid
tissues
– Responsible for antibody production and
prothrombin formation
 Plasma
Protein Components
• Fibrinogen
– 4 % of serum proteins
– Essential for blood clotting
– Supernatant serum remains after the
removal of fibrinogen and clotting
factors from the plasma
 Plasma
• Inorganic components
– Na, K, Mg, P, Fe

• Organic components
– Urea, creatinine, uric acid, glucose,
cholesterol, and enzymes (lipase,
amylase, protease)
 Formed Elements or Blood Cells

• Erythrocytes
• Platelets
• Leukocytes
 Red Blood Cells (Erythrocytes)
• Most abundant cells
• 8 µ; flattened biconcave shape
– Shape provide a surface area that is optimal
for gas diffusion into and out of the cell
– Its reversible deformability enable the
erythrocytes to alter its shape to squeeze
through the microcirculation
 Red Blood Cells (Erythrocytes)

• Life span of 120 days

• Primarily responsible for tissue
oxygenation
• Hemoglobin is a pigment that makes
up about 33 % of the red cell mass
• RBC count
– Men 4.7 – 6.1 cell/cu mm
– Women 4.2 – 5.2 cell/cu mm
 White Blood Cell (Leukocytes)

• Granulocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes

• 5,000 – 10,000 cells/cu mm
• Cells responsible for defense against
microorganisms and injury
 Platelets (Thrombocytes)
• Disk-shaped cytoplasmic fragments
• 140,000 – 340,000 cell/cu mm
• Essential for blood coagulation and control
of bleeding
 Hemopoiesis
3 Successive Stage
• Mesoblastic phase
– 2nd week of gestation, blood formation
detectable in the mesenchyme of the
body stalk and the nearby yolk sac
 Hemopoiesis
3 Successive Stage
• Hepatic phase
– Blood formation shift to
the liver, later the spleen
also becomes a site of
hemopoiesis

• Myeloid phase
– Bone marrow
 Bone Marrow
• Occupies the cylindrical
cavities of the long
bones and the spongy
portion of the vertebrae,
ribs, sternum, the flat
bones of the cranium
and pelvis
• Soft, highly cellular
tissue which occupies
the area of the
cancellous (spongy)
bone
 Bone Marrow
• At birth, all bones contain deep red
hematopoietically active marrow
• At 4-5 years old, the number of blood-
forming cells begin to decline and the
number of adipose cells increases
• Progressive increase in abundance of
adipose cells is responsible for the yellow
color of the marrow
 Bone Marrow

• Active marrow in adults

– Pelvic bones (34 %)
– Vertebrae (28%)
– Cranium and mandible (13 %)
– Sternum and ribs (10 %)
– Extreme proximal portions of femur and
humerus (4-8 %)
 Histology Of Bone Marrow
• Hematopoietic tissue appears as an
unorganized mixture of closely packed
cells of different lineages in various stages
of differentiation
• Stroma consists of reticular cells, reticular
fibers, macrophages and adipose cells
• Vascular sinuses are 50-75 u in diameter
lined by very thin endothelium
 Blood Cell Formation

• Depends on the presence in the marrow of

pluripotential hemopoietic stem cells
• Stem cells constitute less than 0.2 % of
the total population of nucleated cells in
the marrow
• Differentiation give rise to progenitor cells
 Blood Cell Formation

• Progenitor cells are cells that are

irreversibly committed to differentiate into
a single blood cell type
• Stem cells and progenitor cells are
morphologically and cytochemically
indistinguishable
 Blood Cell Formation

• Further differentiation of progenitor

cells into their specific cell lineages
(precursor cells or blasts), the different
stages now become morphologically
distinguishable on the basis of
– size, nuclear configuration, staining
properties and the presence or absence
of specific cytoplasmic granules
 Bone Marrow
Estimate of Marrow Activity
• Obtained by examining the ratio of fat cells
to hematopoietic elements in a bone
marrow biopsy sample

• Normal adult ratio is 1:1

 Bone Marrow
Hematopoietic Precursors
• Normal proportion
– 65% granulocytes and their precursors
– 25% erythroid precursors
– 10% lymphocytes and monocytes and
their precursors

• Normal Myeloid to Erythroid (M:E)

ratio:
– 2 to 3:1
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