Question

What is the path of a red blood cell throughout the body?

Answer 1

Hint: The cellular components of blood are red blood cells (also known as erythrocytes). The presence of haemoglobin, a protein that helps in the binding of oxygen to the cell, gives blood cells their red colour.

Complete answer:
1) The journey begins with the formation of the red cell inside the bone. It grows in the bone marrow in stages, beginning as a hemocytoblast and progressing to an erythroblast after 2 to 5 days. It then becomes a reticulocyte after being filled with haemoglobin, and then a fully matured red blood cell.
2) The red blood cell begins its journey to the heart through capillaries after it is formed. Currently, the blood cell is deoxygenated.
3) The deoxygenated red blood cell now travels to the heart's vena cava before being moved into the right atrium.
4) The right atrium then contracts, forcing the blood cell into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve.
5) The right ventricle contracts next, driving the red blood cell through the semilunar and out of the heart.
6) The red blood cell leaves the heart and moves to the lungs through the pulmonary artery. It absorbs oxygen there, transforming the deoxygenated red blood cell into an oxygenated blood cell. The blood cell then returns to the heart, passing through the pulmonary vein and into the left atrium.
7) The red blood cell reaches the left ventricle after passing through the left atrium, which contracts and moves the blood cell through the bicuspid valve.
8) The left ventricle then contracts, forcing the red blood cell out of the heart and into the aorta through the semilunar.
9) The red blood cell travels through the aorta to the kidneys, trunk, and other lower limbs, supplying oxygenated blood to the body. They typically live for 120 days before dying.

Note: While the path of a red blood cell throughout the body appears to be a lengthy procedure, it takes less than a minute to complete, depending on the individual's heart rate.
The body may have insufficient red blood cells to provide the oxygen needed by the body's extremities in certain situations, such as illnesses or blood loss following injury or childbirth. A blood transfusion is necessary at this stage.