CIRCULATION
(INTRODUCTION)
Dr. Mahreen Siddique
Pharm.D, [Link]. ,[Link]., Ph.D Scholar (Pharmacology)
CIRCULATORY COMPONENTS
The key components of the circulatory system are the
Heart
Blood vessels
Blood
BLOOD
Blood is composed of formed elements (cells and cell fragments)
suspended in a liquid called plasma.
Dissolved in the plasma are a large number of proteins, nutrients,
metabolic wastes, and other molecules being transported between organ
systems.
The cells are the erythrocytes (red blood cells) and the leukocytes (white
blood cells), and the cell fragments are the platelets.
More than 99% of blood cells are erythrocytes that carry oxygen to the
tissues and carbon dioxide from the tissues.
The leukocytes protect against infection and cancer, and
The platelets function in blood clotting. The constant motion of the blood
keeps all the cells dispersed throughout the plasma.
HEMATOCRIT
The hematocrit is defined as the percentage of blood volume that is
erythrocytes.
It is measured by centrifugation (spinning at high speed) of a sample of
blood. The erythrocytes are forced to the bottom of the centrifuge tube, the
plasma remains on top, and the leukocytes and platelets form a very thin
layer between them called the buffy coat.
The normal hematocrit is approximately 45% in men and 42% in women.
The volume of blood in a 70 kg (154 lb) person is approximately 5.5 L. If we
take the hematocrit to be 45%, then
Erythrocyte volume = 0.45 X 5.5 = 2.5 L
Because the volume occupied by leukocytes and platelets is usually
negligible, the plasma volume equals the difference between blood volume
and erythrocyte volume; therefore, in our 70 kg person
Plasma volume = 5.5 – 2.5 = 3.0L
PLASMA
Plasma consists of a large number of organic and inorganic substances dissolved
in water.
The plasma proteins constitute most of the plasma solutes by weight. Their role
in exerting an osmotic pressure that favors the absorption of extracellular fluid
into capillaries.
They can be classified into three broad groups: the albumins, the globulins, and
fibrinogen.
In addition to proteins, plasma contains nutrients, metabolic waste products,
hormones, and a variety of mineral electrolytes including Na1, K1, Cl2, and
others.
Serum is plasma with fibrinogen and other proteins involved in clotting removed
THE BLOOD CELLS
The blood cells, which are suspended in plasma, include erythrocytes,
leukocytes, and platelets.
Erythrocytes, which make up more than 99% of blood cells, contain
hemoglobin, an oxygen-binding protein. Oxygen binds to the iron in
hemoglobin.
a. Erythrocytes are produced in the bone marrow and destroyed in the
spleen and liver.
b. Iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12 are essential for erythrocyte
formation.
c. The hormone erythropoietin, which is produced by the kidneys in
response to low oxygen supply, stimulates erythrocyte differentiation
and production by the bone marrow.
The leukocytes include neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes, and
lymphocytes.
Platelets are cell fragments essential for blood clotting.
Blood cells are descended from stem cells in the bone marrow.
Hematopoietic growth factors control their production.
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
CIRCUITS
The circulatory system consists of two circuits:
The Pulmonary circulation—from the right ventricle to the lungs and
then to the left atrium—and the systemic circulation—from the left
ventricle to all peripheral organs and tissues and then to the right atrium.
In the Systemic circuit, the large artery leaving the left side of the heart
is the aorta, and the large veins emptying into the right side of the heart
are the superior vena cava and inferior vena cava. The analogous vessels
in the pulmonary circulation are the pulmonary trunk (leading to the
pulmonary arteries) and the four pulmonary veins.
Arteries carry blood away from the heart, and veins carry blood toward the
heart.
The microcirculation consists of the vessels between arteries and veins:
the arterioles, capillaries, and venules.
REFERENCE BOOKS
Vander's Human Physiology: The Mechanisms Of Body Function. Boston :
McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2008. Print. Widmaier, Eric P., Raff,
Hershel,Strang, Kevin T.