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Blood is a mixture of cells and a watery liquid, called plasma, that the cells float in. It also contains other things like nutrients (such as sugar), hormones, clotting agents, and waste products to be flushed out of the body.

There are three kinds of cells in the blood: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs throughout the body, white blood cells help fight infection, and platelets help in clotting.

Red blood cells (also called erythrocytes) are the most numerous, making up 40-45 percent of one's blood, and they give blood its characteristic color. Red blood cells are shaped like tiny doughnuts, with an indentation in the center instead of a hole. They contain a special molecule called hemoglobin, which carries the oxygen. In the lungs, where there is a lot of oxygen, the hemoglobin molecules loosely bind with oxygen. Each molecule of hemoglobin contains four iron atoms, and each iron atom can bind with one molecule of oxygen, allowing each hemoglobin molecule to carry four molecules of oxygen. In the capillaries, where there is little oxygen, the hemoglobin readily sheds the oxygen it is carrying and allows it to be absorbed by the body's cells. The iron in hemoglobin is what makes blood red.

A diagram of blood cells. White blood cells (leukocytes) are the body's mobile warriors in the battle against infection and invasion. There are three types of white blood cell: granulocytes, lymphocytes, and monocytes. There are, in turn, three kinds of granulocyte: neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. (Granulocytes are called that because they contain granules that hold digestive enzymes.) Neutrophils kill invading bacteria by ingesting and then digesting them. Eosinophils kill parasites, and are involved in allergic reactions. Basophils also function in allergic reactions, but are not well understood.

Lymphocytes are key parts of the body's immune system. There are two kinds of lymphocyte: T cells and B lymphocytes. T cells direct the activity of the immune system. B lymphocytes produce antibodies, which destroy foreign bodies. Monocytes, the largest kind of white blood cells, enter the tissues of the body and turn into even larger cells called macrophages. These eat foreign bacteria and destroy damaged, old, and dead cells of the body itself.

The blood cells called platelets (thrombocytes) help blood to clot, in several different ways. When bleeding occurs, platelets clump together to help form a clot. Also, when they are exposed to air (as they would be by a wound), platelets start breaking down and release a substance into the bloodstream. This substance starts a chain of chemical events that eventually causes a protein in the blood, fibrinogen, to turn into a different substance, fibrin, which forms long threads. These threads tangle up red blood cells to help form a clot, or scab, over the wound.

In their "resting" state, platelets look like two plates stuck together (hence the name). When "activated" and helping to form a clot, they change shape and look like tiny roundish blobs with tentacles. At only two to three microns, they are the smallest kind of blood cell.

Plasma is a clear, straw-colored liquid that carries the blood cells and various hormones, nutrients, and so on through the body. It makes up a little more than half of the total blood volume. Plasma is about 90 percent water. Much of the other ten percent comprises various kinds of protein molecules, including enzymes, clotting agents, immunoglobulins (part of the immune system), and proteins that carry hormones, vitamins, cholesterol, and other things the body needs. Plasma also contains sugar (glucose) and electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and calcium, as well as other things like the aforementioned hormones, vitamins, and cholesterol.

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Which component in the blood is made mostly of water?

Plasma is the component of blood that is mostly made up of water, accounting for approximately 90% of its composition. Plasma also contains various proteins, electrolytes, hormones, and waste products.


What are the different parts that make up blood?

Blood is composed of plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Plasma is the liquid component that carries the blood cells and other substances through the body. Red blood cells carry oxygen, white blood cells help fight infections, and platelets help with blood clotting.


What 2 things make up human blood?

Human blood is primarily made up of plasma, which is a liquid component that carries blood cells and nutrients throughout the body. The second component is blood cells, which include red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.


Do white blood cells have plasma?

No, plasma is the fluid of the blood. Cells have fluid which is called cytoplasm.from Wikipedia: Blood plasma is the yellow liquid component of blood, in which the blood cells in whole blood would normally be suspended. It makes up about 55% of the total blood volume. It is mostly water (92% by volume) and contains dissolved proteins, glucose, clotting factors, mineral ions, hormones and carbon dioxide (plasma being the main medium for excretory product transportation).


Is a human blood cell made up of smaller cells?

Yes, blood is composed of formed elements and the liquid matrix called plasma. The formed elements of blood are red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes), and platelets (thrombocytes).

Related Questions

What part of the circulatory system is made mostly of water?

Plasma. You have three liters of plasma out of five liters of blood. Plasma is mainly made up of water.


Blood is mostly made up of?

white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets and plasma


Which component in the blood is made mostly of water?

Plasma is the component of blood that is mostly made up of water, accounting for approximately 90% of its composition. Plasma also contains various proteins, electrolytes, hormones, and waste products.


Is the blood made up mainly plasma or blood cells?

85% of blood is made of plasma.


What is blood make of?

blood is made up of mostly blood cells, plasma, white blood cells and platelets. the rest is hormones, waste products and nutrients.


What is part of the blood that is mostly water?

Plasma


How much water is present in the human blood?

The human blood is made up of about 55 plasma, which is mostly water. This means that approximately 55 of the blood volume is water.


What part of the blood is mostly water?

Plasma is the component of blood that is made up of 90% water. It is a yellowish fluid, which carries nutrients, minerals, water, hormones, protein and waste products


Why is blood a liquid?

Blood is a liquid because it is primarily made up of plasma, which is a fluid containing water, electrolytes, nutrients, and proteins. Additionally, blood cells are suspended in this plasma, allowing it to flow through the circulatory system.


What is the fluid found in blood vessels called?

Blood is inside a blood vessel. Blood is made up of Red Blood Cells, White Blood cells, Platelets, and Plasma.


What makes up the majority of blood?

The majority of blood is made up of plasma, which is a yellowish liquid consisting mostly of water, electrolytes, and proteins. Plasma helps transport nutrients, hormones, and waste throughout the body.


How much water is present in our blood?

The average adult human body is made up of about 60 water, and blood is composed of about 55 plasma, which is mostly water. This means that approximately 55 of our blood is water.