Erythrocytes (red blood cells): characteristics and function

One of the most numerous and important cell types in the body, present in the blood.

Erythrocytes, also called red blood cells or red blood cells, are the cells found in greatest proportion in the bloodstream. They are fundamental anatomical units for all our vital functions. Among other things, they transport oxygen and distribute nutrients. transport oxygen and distribute nutrients throughout the body..

We will now see what erythrocytes are, how they are produced and what their main functions are.

What are erythrocytes?

Erythrocytes are the red blood cells that make up our blood. In fact, the term "erythrocyte" comes from the Greek "erythros" meaning red, and "kytos" meaning cell.

Also called red blood cells, erythrocytes are one of the main components of the blood, whose functions are indispensable to maintain the different systems of our organism.Their functions are indispensable to maintain the different systems of our organism. To analyze this in greater detail, we will first see what blood is and what its functions and components are.

Blood and its main components

Blood is the fluid that runs through our organism, whose composition is thicker than water, slightly viscous, and its average temperature is 38º C (one degree higher than body temperature). The quantity in liters of blood that each one of us has depends to a great extent on our size and weight.

Its main functions include transporting oxygen from the lungs to the body's cells, transporting hormones, supplying the cells with specific nutrients, eliminating waste products, and keeping the body in natural balance (e.g., pH levels and temperature).

On the other hand, there are many cells that make up this fluid. Fifty-five percent of blood is plasma, a slightly yellow liquid composed of 90% water and 10% proteins, electrolytes, vitamins, glucose, amino acids and other nutrients. The other 45% of our blood is made up of different types of cells.

Ninety-nine percent of this other half is made up of the red cells we call red blood cells or erythrocytes. The rest (1%) are white cells, also called leukocytes; and platelets, also known as thrombocytes.also known as thrombocytes. Thus, 84% of the total number of cells in the human body are erythrocytes.

Functions of red blood cells

Erythrocytes are shaped like small discs with indentations. They are flexible, i.e. they can bend easily to circulate through the narrowest blood vessels.

Unlike other cells, erythrocytes do not have a nucleus. What they do have is hemoglobina protein responsible for transporting oxygen through the blood, and is also responsible for the red color of the blood. Among the main functions of erythrocytes are the following:

• Collect oxygen from the air we inhale, and carry it through the blood vessels of the lung to all parts of the body.
• This is the process necessary for cell metabolism, generating carbon dioxide as a waste product.
• They collect the carbon dioxide and take it back to the lung, allowing us to expel it when we exhale.They collect carbon dioxide and take it back to the lung, allowing us to expel it when we exhale.
• They release hydrogen and nitrogen, which helps maintain a stable blood pH level.
• Through the above, the blood vessels expand and Blood Pressure decreases.

On the other hand, the deficit in the production of erythrocytes, or their accelerated destruction, is what causes anemiawhile an excess in the production of these cells generates polycythemia or erythrocytosis.

Blood cell production process

Stem cells are responsible for generating the most solid parts of the blood. After a multi-stage development, stem cells develop into blood cells or platelets.

At the end of their development they are released into the bloodstream, which maintains a number of precursor cells. maintains a quantity of precursor cells that allows their regeneration.. This latter process is regulated by substances: the hormone erythropoietin (produced in the kidneys) is responsible for the production of red blood cells, and cytokines help in the production of white blood cells.

Glucose is indispensable for their metabolism (since they have no nucleus or mitochondria), so some of the main pathways are glycolysis and the hemoglobin reductase pathway.

In adults, most blood cells are produced in the bone marrow. are produced in the bone marrowHowever, in the case of erythrocytes, specifically lymphocytes, maturation occurs in the lymph nodes.

Erythrocytes have a life cycle of approximately 120 days. After this time they are decomposed in the bone marrow, spleen or liver, through a process known as hemolysis. In this process, fundamental elements of the erythrocytes are preserved. In this process, fundamental elements of the erythrocytes, such as iron and globin, are preserved and subsequently reused..

Bibliographic references:

• Capellera-Garcia, S. and Flygare, J. (2016). Defining the minimal factors required for erythropoiesis through direct lineage conversion. Cell Rep, 14-15(11): 2550-2560.
• Erythrocyte Etymology (2018). Etymologiasdechile. Retrieved October 17, 2018. Available at http://etimologias.dechile.net/?eritrocito.
• Erythrocytes (Red Blood Cells) (2014). National Cancer Institute. Retrieved October 17, 2018. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0022014/.
• What does blood do? (2015). U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved October 17, 2018. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072576/.