Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
In whole blood (g/cm 3) In plasma or serum (g/cm 3) Water: Solvent 0.81-0.86 0.93-0.95 Acetoacetate: Produced in liver 8-40 × 10 −7: 4-43 × 10 −7: Acetone: product of bodyfat breakdown 3-20 × 10 −6: Acetylcholine: Neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system: 6.6-8.2 × 10 −8: Adenosine triphosphate: Energy storage total 3. ...
Blood is composed of blood cells suspended in blood plasma. Plasma, which constitutes 55% of blood fluid, is mostly water (92% by volume), [2] and contains proteins, glucose, mineral ions, and hormones. The blood cells are mainly red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes), and (in mammals) platelets (thrombocytes). [3]
Red blood cells (RBCs), referred to as erythrocytes (from Ancient Greek erythros 'red' and kytos 'hollow vessel', with -cyte translated as 'cell' in modern usage) in academia and medical publishing, also known as red cells, [1] erythroid cells, and rarely haematids, are the most common type of blood cell and the vertebrate's principal means of delivering oxygen (O 2) to the body tissues—via ...
This functionality is used in cytochromes, which function as electron-transfer vectors. The presence of the metal ion allows metalloenzymes to perform functions such as redox reactions that cannot easily be performed by the limited set of functional groups found in amino acids. [16] The iron atom in most cytochromes is contained in a heme group ...
Hemoglobin is an iron-containing protein that gives red blood cells their color and facilitates transportation of oxygen from the lungs to tissues and carbon dioxide from tissues to the lungs to be exhaled. [3] Red blood cells are the most abundant cell in the blood, accounting for about 40–45% of its volume.
Contrary to popular belief, haemoglobin is not a blood protein, as it is carried within red blood cells, rather than in the blood serum. Serum albumin accounts for 55% of blood proteins, [ 1 ] is a major contributor to maintaining the oncotic pressure of plasma and assists, as a carrier, in the transport of lipids and steroid hormones .
The heart is the driver of the circulatory system, pumping blood through rhythmic contraction and relaxation. The rate of blood flow out of the heart (often expressed in L/min) is known as the cardiac output (CO). Blood being pumped out of the heart first enters the aorta, the largest artery of the body.
The main functions of the microcirculation are the delivery of oxygen and nutrients and the removal of carbon dioxide (CO 2). It also serves to regulate blood flow and tissue perfusion thereby affecting blood pressure and responses to inflammation which can include edema (swelling). [citation needed]