Blood Anatomy
Jade Weeks
Components of Blood
Platelets- cell fragments that that help with blood clotting. There are 300,000 platelets per micrometer of blood.
Plasma- liquid part of the blood that carries nutrients and hormones throughout the body. Plasma makes up about 55% of the blood tissue. Plasma and serum are not the same thing, The liquid part of the clotted blood when the solid clot separates is the serum.
White blood cells (WBC)- Refereed to as leukocytes. There are 5,000 to 10,000 WBC per micro-liter of blood. WBC is the only blood cell that contains a nucleus and DNA. WBC belongs to the circulatory system and the immune system. Their main function is to fight disease & foreign invaders. There are many types of WBC's which are: when an antigen enters the body, WBC identify's it, surrounds it, and destroys it. Once the WBC encounters a foreign antigen, it secretes an antibody. The antibody is a protein that has a specific shape that fits in like a key into the lock of a foreign antigen. If the foreign substances enter the body a second time, the WBC can quickly check their database by using the antibodies.