The 4 parts of the BLOOD

The parts of blood are red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma.. In unProfesor we tell you what its function is so that you understand our body.

The blood It is a mixture of fluid and cells that circulates through the blood vessels of our circulatory system and that of all animals. This red substance that comes out when you cut your skin with a thin piece of paper is essential to keep us alive and it is made up of several parts, which allow it to fulfill its function effectively.

In this lesson from a TEACHER, we are going to explain in detail each of the parts of blood, so you can understand a little better how our body works.

Index

1. What is blood and what is its function?
2. What are the parts of blood and how many?
3. Where do blood cells originate?

Blood is the red liquid component that runs through our veins and allows us to continue living. transports oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body, so that they can function properly. This same blood too

the blood too fights infections in the body and it transports the hormones throughout the body, so that they are able to give the necessary orders for the proper functioning of our body. is actually a tissue and it appears thick because it is made up of a variety of cells, each of which has a different function.

The composition of the blood is 80% water and 20% solid substances.

Here we discover you where the blood circulates.

blood is made up of 4 different parts: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. We explain the parts of blood in a concrete way so that you know them better.

Red blood cells

red blood cells, also known as erythrocytes, are responsible for carry oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body. These blood cells also transport carbon dioxide back to the lungs, so that this organ expels it back to the outside.

Red blood cells are practically half blood and each of them has an approximate life of 120 days.

white blood cells

The white blood cells They are also called leukocytes and are another part of the blood. They perform the task of fight infections that enter the body, so they are a very important part of the immune system. These blood cells are a very small part of the whole blood and barely reach 1%.

exist 3 types of white blood cells:

• The granulocytes which are divided, in turn, into 3 categories: neutrophils They help fight bacterial and fungal infections. The basophils they are part of the body's immune response, although their exact role is not yet well understood. The eosinophils They help fight infections caused by parasites.
• The monocytes they break down foreign organisms and dying cells to remove them from the body.
• The lymphocytes They are what make up the immune system.

White blood cells can have different life spans, ranging from a few hours to years.

platelets

platelets They are also known as thrombocytes and are small parts of cells. Its main function is control bleeding to the outside when we make any wound, creating a layer so as not to bleed to death. They are responsible for creating scabs on wounds.

Platelets only have a presence of less than 1% in the blood and usually live between 9 and 12 days.

Plasma

Finally, the plasma It is another part of the blood. It is a yellow fluid from the blood that contains all blood cells mentioned above. We could say that it is the sea in which blood cells swim and helps them reach any corner of the body in a matter of seconds. The plasma is more than a half of the whole blood.

This plasma helps transport water, nutrients, minerals, medicines and hormones through the body. It also carries waste items to the kidneys. The kidneys are in charge of filtering this waste from the blood that reaches them. The components of plasma are water, protein and fat.

blood cells originate in the bone marrow, that spongy material that is in the center of the bones and that produces all types of blood cells. This process of creating blood cells is called hematopoiesis.

In the body, there are also other organs that are responsible for control this blood, so that it is always in good condition. For example, the lymph nodes, spleen, and liver regulate the production, destruction, and function of blood cells.

What is the process of creating blood cells?

The bone marrow is like a factory that makes the different types of blood cells. The first thing it does is create a special cell called "stem cell". This is like a main building block for all the other cells in the blood. As this stem cell grows and develops, develops into different types of cells necessary for our body, such as red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Some of these cells stay in the factory, that is, in the bone marrow, to mature and become stronger. However, there are others that begin to travel through the different parts of the body, becoming mature blood cells and ready to fulfill their role. This is our body's way of making sure we always have enough working cells in our blood to keep us alive.

We hope this lesson has helped you understand a little better the parts of blood And what is the function of each of them? In this other lesson we will discover what is the function of the circulatory system.

If you want to read more articles similar to parts of the blood, we recommend that you enter our category of biology.

• Cambaceres, E. (2008). In the blood (Vol. 28, no. 2). Editions Colihue SRL.
• Izaguirre-Ávila, R., & de Micheli, A. (2005). Evolution of knowledge about blood and its movement: Part II. Knowing about its composition. Iatrochemistry of the blood. Clinical Research Journal, 57(1), 85-97.