Lesson 9 – Intro to circulatory system and BLOOD

Fast Facts

~ 7%Blood makes up around 7% of the weight of

the human body.

Fast Facts

TwiceIf you could stretch out all of a human's blood vessels, they would be long enough to go around the world twice.

Fast Facts

7 daysHalf your body’s red blood cells are

replaced every seven days.

Fast Facts

120 daysThe average life span of a single red blood

cell in the circulatory system.

Fast Facts

20 – 60 sThe time it takes a drop of blood to travel

away from the heart and back again.

Fast Facts

100 000The number of times the heart beats each

day.

The Human Circulatory System and the Components

of Blood

Functions of the Cardiovascular System: delivers vital nutrients (e.g., oxygen)

to all body cells eliminates waste products and carbon

dioxide transports chemical messengers

(e.g., hormones) from one part of the body to another

helps to maintain a constant body temperature

Types of Circulatory System

Open Circulatory System – Hemolymph (mix of blood and tissue fluid) is pumped directly into the body cavity.

-

Types of Circulatory System

Closed Circulatory System – Blood is separate from the rest of the body in a network of tubes.

Single-circuit circulatory system – Only one track the blood can travel

Two-circuit circulatory system - Circulation to the lungs is separated from circulation to the rest of the body.

Two-Circuit Circulatory System:Circulation to the lungs is separated from circulation to the rest of the body.

pulmonary circuit:the part of the circulatory

system that delivers blood to the lungs

systemic circuit:the part of the circulatory

system that delivers blood around the body

Blood: What is in it?

Human body contains 4L to 5L of blood depending on the size of the individual Blood is a connective tissue – a tissue

that consists of cells suspended in an intercellular matrix

Using a centrifuge, blood can be separated into its two components – plasma (less dense, rises to top) and cellular components (more dense, sinks to bottom)

Plasma:

Protein-rich liquid; over 90% is water Oxygen, proteins, nutrients (glucose,

minerals and vitamins), carbon dioxide and other waste products from cellular respiration are dissolved or suspended in plasma

Blood proteins in plasma include; albumins, globulins, fibrogens Albumins: helps regulate the amount of

water within the body Globulins: transports lipids, cholesterol,

some fat-soluble vitamins, some minerals▪ Immunglobins (or antibodies) help fight infectious

diseases Fibrogens: play a critical role in blood

clotting; plasma with fibrogen removed is called serum

Plasma also carries a number of dissolved ions: Na+, K+, Ca2+, Cl- , HCO3

-. Na+ and Cl- are most common ions. When the concentration of Na+ in the plasma is high, it creates an osmotic pressure gradient and causes water to enter the blood stream. As more water enters the blood, the total volume of blood increases and the blood pressure rises. This explains why high salt diets lead to hypertension (high blood pressure)

 

Cellular Components:

Red Blood Cells - For Transport (erythrocytes) carry oxygen from the lungs to the

body cells and carry carbon dioxide from the body cells back to the lungs to be expelled

Formed from stem cells in marrow of vertebrae, ribs, breastbone, skull and bones of the arms and legs

Erythrocytes die after about 120 days ; then removed by the liver and spleen

Between 2million and 3 million erythrocytes are produced each second

When erythrocytes are developing in the marrow, they have a nucleus, but as they mature and are released into the blood stream, their nucleus breaks down and disappears.

White Blood Cells – For Protection

- (Leukocytes) are formed in bone marrow and always have a nuclei

first line of defense against harmful bacteria, viruses and other

disease causing agents

▪ Granular – have grains in their cytoplasm and attach foreign material and microorganisms▪ Agranular – specialized for engulfing bacteria

and microorganisms through phagocytosis. This involves engulfing the bacteria within the cell membrane and release enzymes to destroy the target and the leucocyte itself

Remnants of leuckocytes and whatever it engulfed are left behind in a whitish substance called pus

 Platelets (thrombocyte) – For Protection

For protection; involved in clotting or coagulation

Small cell fragments produced from stem cells in bone marrow

When blood vessel is broken, chemicals in platelets cause the platelets to stick to collagen fibres in the blood vessel wall. As more and more platelets stick to the fibres, a clot is created to seal the hole in the blood vessel

The permanent clot stops the leakage of blood and allows time for the injury to heal and then the blood clot is absorbed by the body.

Blood Types:

Recall that the four blood types are: A, B, AB, O.

The Rhesus Factor: The Rhesus factor is another inherited factor

discovered by studying the blood of rhesus monkeys. The rhesus factor is an antigen on erythrocytes that produce an antibody reaction. This is not as severe as the antibody reaction to blood type markers. The rhesus factor is present in approximately 85% of the population deeming them Rh-positive. The remaining 15% do not have this factor and are considered Rh-negative. Rh-negative people can donate their blood to Rh-positive people, but they cannot receive Rh-positive blood.