The blood

  1. Home
  2. »
  3. General
  4. »
  5. The blood

Blood Components

Blood is composed of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide. White blood cells make up our immune defense system. Platelets contribute to blood clotting, thereby preventing excessive bleeding.

Plasma: Blood Without Blood Cells

Plasma is the liquid component of blood, primarily composed of water, salts, sugars, and various proteins. Among these proteins are lipoproteins, which act as “taxis” to transport substances such as cholesterol, as well as antibodies, proteins that play a crucial role in protection against infections.

Red Blood Cells

In analogy with taxis for lipoproteins, red blood cells can be compared to boats loaded with transporting oxygen in the blood. The red color associated with these cells comes from the presence of hemoglobin, a protein that contains iron. This iron acts like a magnet, attracting and binding oxygen to transport it to the tissues and organs that need it. This is how red blood cells play a crucial role in oxygen transport throughout the body.

A Preference for Oxygen

Red blood cells prefer the company of oxygen (O2) over that of carbon dioxide (CO2). When they reach the lungs, where oxygen is abundant, red blood cells release CO2 and load up with oxygen to transport it to the organs.

Once they reach their destination, where oxygen is less available and CO2 is produced, red blood cells find themselves in an environment low in oxygen and rich in CO2. At this stage, they release their cargo of oxygen and pick up CO2 to transport it back to the lungs, where it will be exhaled out of the body.

Vital Transportation

This process of red blood cell transport is essential to ensure the delivery of oxygen to the organs and tissues of the body, as well as the removal of carbon dioxide.

Red blood cells thus play an absolutely vital role in the bloodstream and in maintaining the health of the organism. They ensure the efficient distribution of oxygen necessary for cell survival while eliminating waste in the form of CO2. It is thanks to this function that red blood cells contribute to maintaining the balance necessary for the proper functioning of our bodies.

The Pump and the Conduits

This vital transport of blood, oxygen, nutrients, and waste throughout the body could not occur without an efficient pump to ensure circulation through a network of sealed conduits and pipes.

This pump is the heart, which acts as the main engine propelling blood through the blood vessels. These arteries, veins, and capillaries, forming a network of nearly 100,000 kilometers, serve as channels to transport blood to and from all parts of the body.

It is this continuous and regular circulation of blood that allows each cell, tissue, and organ to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to function properly, while eliminating waste produced by their metabolic activity.

Thus, the heart and circulatory system play a crucial role in maintaining the health and optimal functioning of the body.

An early start

As early as the 14th day of fetal life, the embryonic heart begins to beat and pump blood.

This early onset of circulatory activity is essential for providing the nutrients and oxygen necessary for the growth and development of the fetus, as well as for eliminating metabolic waste produced during this critical period of embryonic life.