Blood components

By - Haya abdullah
The cardiovascular system -
- Its consists of the heart and the blood vessels through which the blood passes. These vessels
form a complete circuit (a closed circulatory system).

- Blood vessels – Arteries, Capillaries, and Veins. Arteries can carry blood from the heart to the of
the parts of the body. Veins can carry blood from organs to the heart.

- Capillaries are Found in the lungs and muscles,They are very thin and they have low blood
pressure
artries and veins main features ~
Artries - veins ~

1- they have thick walls of muscles to help in carrying 1- The walls are thin.
blood away from the heart.

2- The internal lumen is large.

2- Arteries are usually buried among the body’s
muscles. They carry oxygenated blood, except for the
pulmonary artery which comes out of the right 3- These have low blood pressure.
ventricle to the lungs and carries deoxygenated blood.

4-it always carries deoxygenated blood except for the

pulmonary vein which carries blood from the lungs to
the heart.
Blood -
- Blood is a liquid tissue. It contains red blood cells, white blood cells, and blood platelets. The
fluid part of this liquid tissue is the blood plasma. Blood is the principal medium in the process
of transport. It is a viscous red liquid and weakly alkaline (pH 7.4). The human body contains 5-
6 liters of blood on average.

- The components of blood are: plasma,Red blood cells (Erythrocytes, R.B.Cs,White blood cells
(Leucocytes, W.B.Cs)and Blood platelets
Rbc and wbc
RBCs -
1-They are produced in the bone marrow of the
backbone. They are round in shape, biconcave and
enucleated. They contain hemoglobin (protein + iron),
which gives the blood its red color.
2- Inside the two lungs, the hemoglobin combines with
oxygen to form pale red oxyhemoglobin that carries
Oxygen to different parts of the body, where it leaves
oxygen and unites with carbon dioxide to form dark red
carboxyhemoglobin. Venous blood is darker than the
arterial blood.
WBCs
1-they are colorless and nucleated. They live for 13-20
days and are continuously formed in the bone marrow,
spleen, and lymphatic system. There are different types
of leucocytes, each with a specific function. The main
function of W.B.Cs is to protect the body against
infectious diseases. They circulate continuously in the
blood vessels, attack foreign particles, and destroy and
engulf them. Some of them produce antibodies.
Plasma and platlets
plasma - Platlets -

Plasma makes up about 54% of the blood’s volume. It 1-They are very small in size (1/4 of RBCs),
contains:90% water,1% inorganic salts as Ca++, Na+, enucleated, and live for about 10 days. They are
and (HCO3),7% proteins as albumin, globulin, and about 250000/mm3 and are produced in the bone
fibrinogen and 2% of other components, such as: marrow. They play a role in blood clotting.

● Absorbed food as (sugar, amino acids)

● Hormones.
● Enzymes.
● Antibiotics.
● Wastes as urea.
The functions of blood are:

1. To transport digested food substances, together with oxygen, carbon dioxide, waste
nitrogenous compounds, hormones, and some active and inactive enzymes.
2. To control the process of metabolism and keep the body temperature at 37 degrees C. In
addition, it regulates the internal environment (homeostasis), such as osmotic potential.
3. To protect the body against microbes and pathogenic organisms through immunity
involving the lymphatic system.
4. To protect the blood itself against bleeding by blood clotting.
The Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system is considered as the immune system of the body due to its defence ability and the production of
antibodies.
The lymphatic system consists of a large number of lymphatic capillaries. They take up blood fluid that comes out from
the blood capillaries, called the lymph. The lymph contains nearly all of the plasma’s constituents and leucocytes. The
lymphatic capillaries empty the lymph into the circulatory system along the superior vena cava.
The lymph passes across the lymph nodes which are found at certain points along the lymph capillaries. Lymphocytes are
packed into the spaces of lymph nodes and trap the microbes produced by white blood cells . The spleen is considered
one of the most important lymphatic organs in the body.