Blood Cells

Blood cells
There are 3 types of blood cells:
1. Red (Erythrocutes)
• small baconcave disks
• lack a nucleus
• contain hemoglobin
• there are 6 million per mm3 of whole blood
• Each one has250 million hemoglobin molecules
• Are manufactured in red bone marrow
o skull, vertebrae, ribs, and ends of long bones
• Before leaving the bone marrow they lose their nucleus and make hemoglobin.• Life span of aprox. 120 days.
• Most are destroyed in the liver and spleen.
o iron is sent back to bone marrow to be reused.
o cell parts become bile pigments that color feces
• Hemoglobinbinds to O2 and CO2
2. White Blood cells (Leukocytes)
• Larger than erythrocytes
• Have a nucleus
• Don´t have hemoglobin. Look translucent.
• Some have granules in their cytoplasm and a lobednucleus  Glanular Leukocytes
o There are 3 kinds:
 A. Neutrophils: Granules stain pink.
They are amoeboid, spherical cells.
Squeeze through capillary walls to phagocytize foreign material.
 B.Eosinophils: Granules take up red dye eosin.
 C. Basophils: Granules take up a basic dye. Look blue.
• Stem cell growth factor increases the production of all WBC.
• Agranular Leukocytes  Lackgranules and have a circular nucleus.
o A. Monocytes: amoeboid, able to enter tissues where transform into macrophages.
o B. Macrophages: Releases WBC growth factors to increase the # of leukocytes.
oC. Pus: Thick, yellowish fluid with large portions of dead WBC that have fought infection.
o D. Lymphocytes: Key role in fighting infection. 2 kinds:
 T-Cells: Directly attack virus infectedcells.
 B-Cells: Can be stimulated to produce 1 kind of antibody specific for one type of antigen.
• Antigen: anything that stimulates the production of antibudies. It is foreign to the body
•Antibudies: combine with antigens so they are easily phagocytized by a macrophage.
3. Platelets (Thrombocytes):
• Form from fragmented giant cells called megokaryocytes in bone marrow.
• 200 billion are...