NSCI 1403 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Megakaryocyte, Fibrinogen, Fibrin
27 Dec 2016
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The blood of mammals has two components: plasma and formed elements (cells and platelets). Plasma contains water and many types of molecules, including nutrients, wastes, salts, and proteins. They effectively keep the blood ph near 7. 4. They maintain the blood osmotic pressure so water has a tendency to enter capillaries. Some plasma proteins are involved in blood clotting. Some plasma proteins assist in transporting large organic molecules in the blood. Albumin, a common plasma protein, transports bilirubin, a breakdown product of hemoglobin. Red blood cells have a life span of about 120 days; then they are destroyed chiefly in the liver and spleen. When the rbcs are destroyed, the hemoglobin is released; the iron is recovered and returned to the bone marrow where it is reused. The heme portions undergo chemical degradation and are excreted by the liver as bile pigments; it colors the feces. White blood cells: leukocytes differ from rbcs in being larger and in having a nucleus.
