Blood “the river of life”

Functions of the blood

1- Transportation:
It transports:
Dissolved gases such O2 and CO2.

Metabolic waste products such as water, CO2, uric acid, urea,

creatine … etc.
Hormones.
Enzymes.
Absorbed nutrients
Metabolites
Plasma proteins
WBCs and RBCs
2- Defense
Defending materials include WBCs, antitoxins, agglutinins and
precipitins.
The immune bodies (antibodies) are chiefly γ globulins.
Functions of the blood (continue)

3- Regulation of body temperature (thermoregulation):

4- Controls pH

pH of blood must remain in the range of 7.35 - 7.45

5- Removes toxins from the body

kidneys filter all of the blood in the body 36 times/ 24 hours.

Toxins removed through urine and sweat.

6- Regulation of body fluid electrolytes

6- Regulation of water balance

 Blood
It is a fluid organ
Its major component is water, in which are dissolved important
electrolytes and gases.
It is composed of a liquid called blood plasma containing large
particles ranging from plasma proteins to blood elements.
The blood elements suspended within the plasma are:
1- Red blood cells (corpuscles) (RBCs) (erythrocytes)
2- White blood cells (WBCs) (leuckocytes)
3- Blood platelets (thrombocytes)

Plasma
Pale-yellow in color due to proteins
Milky color after a fatty meal

Serum = plasma - fibrinogen and other clotting factors

90% of the volume is represented by water

 Plasma (continue)
In this water are dissolved:
1- The plasma proteins (7% of the plasma volume)

2- Inorganic salts (0.9%)

3- Organic constituents other than proteins (2%) such as lipids,
glucose, …. etc.

Blood plasma volume is of 2.7-3.0 liters

The plasma volume is the result of the balance of 2 forces:

1- That pulling water into capillaries

due to osmotic pressure
2- That forcing water from capillaries
due to hydrostatic pressure
 Two tubes of EDTA anticoagulated blood.
Right tube: Contains freshly drawn blood.
Left tube: After standing, the RBCs have
settled at the bottom of the tube.
Plasma proteins
Complex mixture of simple proteins (such as albumin, globulins
and fibrinogen) and conjugated proteins such as lipoproteins and
glycoproteins.
All the simple plasma proteins are synthesized in liver except
gamma globulins.
Often mentioned blood proteins
Blood protein Normal level %
Albumins 3.4 - 5.4 g/dl 60%
Globulins 2.0 - 3.5 g/dl 35%
Fibrinogens 0.2 - 0.45 g/dl 4%
Regulatory proteins <1%
Albumin
It has the lowest molecular weight (70,000).
Functions:
1- It is main contributor to colloid osmotic pressure
2- It acts as a carrier for fatty acids, lipids, steroid hormones,
trace elements and many drugs
When serum albumin is decreased (hypoalbuminemia) Soft tissue
edema is found as a result of a decrease in colloid osmotic
pressure.
Hypoalbuminemia occurs in liver and kidney diseases.
Globulins
Heterogenous complex mixture of α, β and γ globulins
Orginate from liver and other tissues such as reticulo-endothelial
system.
Functions:
1- Alpha globulins are used for transporting thyroxine and retinol
(vitamin A).
2- Beta globulins are the iron-transporting protein.
3- Most antibodies are gamma globulins.
Albumin
It has the lowest molecular weight (70,000).
Functions:
1- It is main contributor to colloid osmotic pressure
2- It acts as a carrier for fatty acids, lipids, steroid hormones,
trace elements and many drugs
When serum albumin is decreased (hypoalbuminemia) Soft tissue
edema is found as a result of a decrease in colloid osmotic
pressure.
Hypoalbuminemia occurs in liver and kidney diseases.
Globulins
Heterogenous complex mixture of α, β and γ globulins
Orginate from liver and other tissues such as reticulo-endothelial
system.
Functions:
1- Alpha globulins are used for transporting thyroxine and retinol
(vitamin A).
2- Beta globulins are the iron-transporting protein.
3- Most antibodies are gamma globulins.
 Multiple Waldenström's
myeloma macroglobulinemia

Gamma globulin is composed of tens of thousands of unique

antibody molecules.
Fibrinogen
4% is fibrinogen and this is essential in the clotting of blood.

Regulatory proteins

Regulatory proteins which make up less than 1% of plasma

proteins are proteins such as enzymes, proenzymes and hormones.
Other types of blood proteins include:

Prothrombin, α -1-antitrypsin, Prealbumin, α-1-acid glycoprotein,

α-1- fetoprotein, haptoglobin, α-2-macroglobulin, Ceruloplasmin,

β-2-microglobulin, β-lipoprotein, γ-globulin proteins and

c-reactive protein (CRP).

The serum proteins can be separated by
1- Salting out method:
By using various solvents or electrolytes (or both) to remove
different protein fractions in accordance with their solubility
characteristics.
Using varying concentrations of sodium or
ammonium sulfate.
2- Electrophoresis and ultracentrifugation
method:
Soaked in a slightly-alkaline salt solution
using a buffer of 0.1 N sodium diethyl
barbiturate
Albumin moves closest to the positive
electrode then α1-, α2-, β1-, β2- and γ-
globulin.
Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis
Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem
mass spectrometry (LC-MS/Ms)
Measures the mass-to-charge ratio of
charged particles
 LC-MS/MS

Current research regarding blood plasma proteins is

centered on performing proteomics analyses of
serum/plasma in the search for biomarkers.
‫الى اللقـــــاء القــــــــادم‬