Red Blood Cells (RBCs)

Red Blood Cell Composition

• Cytoplasm of a red blood cell is composed of a gel-like substance containing hemoglobin, salts, and water.

Erythrocyte Production

• Human adults produce approximately 2 million new erythrocytes (red blood cells) per second.

Red Blood Cell Function

• Primary function of red blood cells is to transport oxygen from lungs to body tissues and carbon dioxide from body tissues to lungs.

Lack of Nucleus and Organelles

• Mature red blood cells lack a cell nucleus and organelles to provide more space for hemoglobin, allowing for more efficient oxygen transport.

Red Blood Cell Structure

• Mature human red blood cells have a biconcave disk shape, which increases their surface area for gas exchange.

Hemoglobin Function

• Primary function of hemoglobin in red blood cells is to bind to oxygen and carbon dioxide, facilitating their transport.

Significance of No Nucleus

• Lack of a cell nucleus in mature red blood cells allows for a longer lifespan and increased flexibility, enabling them to change shape and squeeze through narrow blood vessels.

Red Blood Cell Color

• Hemoglobin provides the red color to both red blood cells and blood.

Biconcave Disk Shape

• The biconcave disk shape of mature red blood cells allows for increased flexibility and easier passage through narrow blood vessels.

Hemoglobin Molecules

• A single human red blood cell contains approximately 300 million hemoglobin molecules.