The functions & physical characteristics of blood

blood plasma

-The extracellular matrix of blood. -it suspends various cells and cell fragments.

FUNCTIONS OF BLOOD

1. Transports oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, hormones, heat, and wastes. 2. Regulates pH, body temperature, and water content of cells. 3. Protects against blood loss through clotting, and against disease through phagocytic white blood cells and proteins such as antibodies, interferons, and complement.

Functions of blood: 3. Protection.

-Blood can clot, which protects against its excessive loss from the cardiovascular system after an injury. -its white blood cells protect against disease by carrying on phagocytosis. -Several types of blood proteins, including antibodies, interferons, and complement, help protect against disease in a variety of ways.

Functions of blood: 2. Regulation.

-Circulating blood helps maintain homeostasis of all body fluids. -helps regulate pH through the use of buffers. -It also helps adjust body temperature through the heat‐absorbing and coolant properties of the water in blood plasma and its variable rate of flow through the skin, where excess heat can be lost from the blood to the environment. -blood osmotic pressure influences the water content of cells, mainly through interactions of dissolved ions and proteins.

Blood

-a connective tissue that consists of blood plasma (liquid) plus formed elements (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets).

Functions of blood: 1. Transportation.

-blood transports oxygen from the lungs to the cells of the body and carbon dioxide from the body cells to the lungs for exhalation. -carries nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract to body cells and hormones from endocrine glands to other body cells. -also transports heat and waste products to various organs for elimination from the body.

Physical characteristics of blood:

-denser and more viscous (thicker) than water and feels slightly sticky. -The temperature of blood is 38°C. -The color of blood varies with its oxygen content. -When saturated with oxygen, it is bright red. When unsaturated with oxygen, it is dark red.

Interstitial fluid

-the fluid that bathes body cells. -is constantly renewed by the blood.

what is the approximate volume of blood in your body?

Blood volume is about 8% of your body mass, roughly 5-6 liters in males and 4-5 liters in females.