Blood cell
A blood cell, also called a haematopoietic cell, hemocyte, or hematocyte, is a cell produced through hematopoiesis and found mainly in the blood. In mammals, these fall into three general categories:
Red blood cells – Erythrocytes
White blood cells – Leukocytes
Platelets – Thrombocytes.
Together, these three kinds of blood cells add up to a total 45% of the blood tissue by volume, with the remaining 55% of the volume composed of plasma, the liquid component of blood.
This volume percentage hematocrit is measured by centrifuge or flow cytometry and is 45% of cells to total volume in males and 40% in females.
Haemoglobin (the main component of red blood cells) is an iron-containing protein that facilitates transportation of oxygen from the lungs to tissues and carbon dioxide from tissues to the lungs.
Red blood cells (Erythrocytes)
Red blood cells primarily carry oxygen and collect carbon dioxide through the use of haemoglobin, and have a lifetime of about 120 days. In the process of being formed they go through a unipotent stem cell stage. They have the job alongside the white blood cells of protecting the healthy cells.