Biochemistry

FIRST YEAR - FINAL TERM MR. Jan Jarrel Gillego 11/2021 - 01/2022
Blood

Blood Functions
 Transportation of nutrients, gases, wastes, hormones
 Regulation of pH
 Restriction of fluid loss during injury
 Defense against pathogens and toxins
 Regulation of body temperature

Blood Components
 Erythrocytes (Red Blood Cells)
 Thrombocytes (Platelets)
 Leukocytes ( White Blood Cells)
 Plasma

 Plasma Contains
Formed Elements
 -H2O - SOLVENTS
 RBCs makes around 40% - 45% of blood
 -Gases
 Percentage called hematocrit (HCT)
 -Nutrients
 WBCs – deals with immune response
 -Wastes SOLUTES
 Platelets – Clotting
 -Hormones
 Plasma
 -Proteins –
 It is a clear straw-colored fluid
 Albumins – help maintain osmotic pressure
 Around 55% > 60% of the blood
 Globulins – to attack foreign invader, (they attach
 Made of water
to the bacterias so that they can be destroyed,
transport protein
Centrifugation of blood  Fibrinogen – without fibrinogen you can’t have
blood clots

Blood Cell Formation

 Hemocytoblasts – hangs around in the bone marrow

(blood cell maker)

Red Blood Cells

 Erythrocytes are shaped like biconcave discs
 Enucleated
 Hemoglobin is the main protein at work
 Like an “oxygen raft”
 Biochemistry
FIRST YEAR - FINAL TERM MR. Jan Jarrel Gillego 11/2021 - 01/2022
Blood

 Oxyhemoglobin vs. deoxyhemoglobin

 Last up to 4 months
 1-3 million new RBCs enter the blood stream per
second!
 Red blood cells-- also known as RBCs, red cells,red
blood corpuscles, haematids, erythroid
cells or erythrocytes are the most common type
of blood cell and the vertebrate's principal means of
delivering oxygen (O2) to the body tissues—
via blood flow through the circulatory system. RBCs
take up oxygen in the lungs, or gills of fish, and release
it into tissues while squeezing through the
body's capillaries.
 The cytoplasm of erythrocytes is rich in hemoglobin,  Since Red blood cells in the body is not like the typical
an iron-containing biomolecule that can bind oxygen cell.
and is responsible for the red color of the cells and the  It has no nucleus, no ribosomes, no mitochondria
blood.
 The cell membrane is composed of proteins and lipids,
and this structure provides properties essential for Breakdown and Renewal of RBCs
physiological cell function such  In the liver, spleen, or bone marrow RBCs are engulfed
as deformability and stability while traversing the and they hemolyze (rupture)
circulatory system and specifically the capillary  Hemoglobin is broken down
network.  Biliverdin > by product of hemolysis
 Iron helps form and oxygenate our blood cells and  In turn it will become bilirubin
haemoglobin  When too much production of bilirubin > jaundice
One of the most important functions of iron is in heme  Bilirubin is a yellowish substance that is created
synthesis, which forms haemoglobin, a protein found by the breakdown (destruction) of hemoglobin, a
in red blood cells. major component of red blood cells.
 Haemoglobin’s primary role is to transport oxygen  Erythropoiesis makes new RBCs (with EPO)
from the lungs to body tissues to maintain basic life  Biliverdin = more of greenish color (bruises)
functions. Without healthy red blood cells, your body  Bilirubin = yellowish
can't get enough oxygen and this can result in you
feeling increasingly tired or exhausted. White Blood Cells
 In humans, mature red blood cells are flexible and oval
 Leukocytes come in many varieties and have
biconcave disks.
incredible abilities to defend the body
 They lack a cell nucleus and most organelles, in order
 Can migrate out of the blood stream
to accommodate maximum space for hemoglobin;
 Have amoeboid movement
they can be viewed as sacks of hemoglobin, with
 Attracted to specific stimuli
a plasma membrane as the sack. Approximately 2.4
 Most do phagocytosis (Cell-eating)
million new erythrocytes are produced per second in
 Form of endocytosis
human adults. The cells develop in the bone
marrow and circulate for about 100–120 days in the
body before their components are recycled
by macrophages. Each circulation takes about 60
seconds (one minute).
 Approximately a quarter of the cells in the human
body are red blood cells. Nearly half of the blood's
volume (40% to 45%) is red blood cells.

Red Blood Cell

Granulocytes
 Neutrophils (50-70% of WBCs)
 Swallows up foreign invaders
 The “front lines”
 Eosinophils (2-4% of WBCs)
 Attack objects w/ antibodies
 Great at attacking parasites
 Increases in # during allergic reactions
 Basophils (less than 1%)
 Assist mass cells to produce inflammation
 Biochemistry
FIRST YEAR - FINAL TERM MR. Jan Jarrel Gillego 11/2021 - 01/2022
Blood

Agranulocytes
 Monocytes (2-8% of WBCs)
 Largest of WBCs
 Great at endocytosis (engulfing)
 Circulates for -24 hours, then becomes
tissue macrophage
 Lymphocytes (20-30% of WBCs)
 Circulate in blood, but also hang out in
lymphatic organs
 T cells
 B cells
 Natural killer cells

 Coagulation (blood clotting) Phase

 In addition to platelets, fibrinogen is converted to
fibrin to form a net-like structure
 Fibrinolysis (clot removal)

Blood conditions/disorders
 Hemorrhage – leaking of the blood from the blood
vessels
 Thrombus – blood clot that shouldn’t be there
 If it gets dislodged it moves along to the
blood stream
 Embolism – when the clot gets caught it
becomes an embolus (barado)
Platelets  Anemia – Not producing enough red blood cells
 Thrombocytes look like pieces of a shattered ( need iron to produce hemoglobin for oxygen
plate! transport)
 These cells have many important roles related to
clotting blood:
 Release chemicals to help clots occur HEMORRHAGE
 Form a temporary patch on walls of
damaged vessels
 Contraction of reduced clot size

Hemostasis
 Means keeping blood where it should be
 Stoppage of bleeding or hemorrhaging
 Vascular Phase
 Vascular spasm – decreases diameter
 Endothelial cells release chemical factors
 Platelet Phase
 Platelet plug
 Release of more chemicals (ADP, clotting
factors)
 Biochemistry
FIRST YEAR - FINAL TERM MR. Jan Jarrel Gillego 11/2021 - 01/2022
Blood

Embolus

 Blood transfusion is generally the process of

receiving blood or blood products into
one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used
for various medical conditions to replace lost
components of the blood. Early transfusions
used whole blood, but modern medical practice
commonly uses only components of the blood, such
as red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, clotting
Sickle Cell Disease – also called sickle cell anemia . The factors, and platelets.
body is producing red blood cells but the RBC aren't doing
a good job in binding oxygen. – born with, genes, the RBC
 Red blood cells contain hemoglobin and increase
looks like a sickle
iron levels by improving the amount of oxygen
found in the body.
 White blood cells, are not commonly used during
transfusion but are related to the immune system
and to fight infections.
 Plasma is the liquid part of the blood which acts as
a buffer and contains proteins and important
substances needed for the bodies overall health.
 The platelets are in charge of blood clotting and
 Hemophilia – Genetic disorder. Affects more males prevent the body from bleeding. Before this was
than females. known, doctors believed that blood was a unit
 “LOVING BLOOD” with no components. Because of this, many
 No cure. Can inject clotting factors patients were dying due to the transfer of
Hemophilia is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn't incompatible blood.
clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting  ABO blood types were discovered in 1990 by Dr.
proteins (clotting factors). If you have hemophilia, you Karl Landsteiner and Weiner
may bleed for a longer time after an injury than you
would if your blood clotted normally.

 Leukemia – Bone marrow cancer

 Over production of leukocytes.
 Fatal if the person doesn’t get bone marrow
transplant.
When you have leukemia, your body makes more
white cells than it needs. These leukemia cells can't fight
infection the way normal white blood cells do. And
because there are so many of them, they start to affect Normal Red Blood cells
the way your organs work.

Blood Transfusions
 Compatibility of RBC/antibody content is crucial!
 A blood >
 B blood >
 AB blood >
 O blood >
Rh Factor

ABO type
 Biochemistry
FIRST YEAR - FINAL TERM MR. Jan Jarrel Gillego 11/2021 - 01/2022
Blood

 Your body will create antibodies (proteins) against

the baby's Rh-positive blood. These antibodies can
Transfusion reaction cross the placenta and attack the baby's red blood
cells. This can lead to hemolytic anemia in the
baby. Rh incompatibility usually doesn't cause
problems during a first pregnancy.

Rh
 Rhesus (Rh) factor is an inherited protein found on the
surface of red blood cells. If your blood has the
protein, you're Rh positive. If your blood lacks the
protein, you're Rhnegative. Rh positive is the most
common blood type.