Types of blood cells

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Types of Blood Cells

Blood is a vital tissue in the human body, composed of various cell types that perform essential functions. These cells can be broadly categorized into three main types: red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets. Each type has distinct roles and characteristics, contributing to the overall functionality of the circulatory and immune systems.

Red Blood Cells (RBCs)

Structure and Function of RBCs

Red blood cells, also known as erythrocytes, are highly specialized cells responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to tissues and carbon dioxide from tissues to the lungs. They achieve this through the oxygen-binding protein hemoglobin, which is abundant in RBCs. These cells are characterized by their flexible, biconcave shape, which allows them to navigate through narrow capillaries 37.

Lifespan and Interaction

RBCs have an average lifespan of about 120 days. During this period, they interact with various cell types, including endothelial cells, platelets, macrophages, and even bacteria. These interactions are crucial for maintaining hemostasis and immune responses .

White Blood Cells (WBCs)

Types and Functions of WBCs

White blood cells, or leukocytes, are key players in the immune system, protecting the body against infections and foreign invaders. There are five main types of WBCs, each with specific functions:

Neutrophils: These are the most abundant type of WBCs and are the first responders to microbial infection. They perform phagocytosis to engulf and destroy pathogens 46.
Eosinophils: These cells are involved in combating parasitic infections and play a role in allergic reactions 46.
Basophils: These are the least common type of WBCs and are involved in inflammatory responses and allergic reactions by releasing histamine 46.
Lymphocytes: This group includes B-cells, T-cells, and natural killer cells, which are crucial for adaptive immunity, producing antibodies, and destroying infected or cancerous cells 456.
Monocytes: These cells differentiate into macrophages and dendritic cells in tissues, where they perform phagocytosis and antigen presentation 12456.

Classification and Identification

Recent advancements in single-cell RNA sequencing and deep learning techniques have improved the classification and identification of WBCs. These methods allow for more accurate differentiation of WBC subtypes, which is critical for diagnosing and treating various diseases 1469.

Platelets

Role in Hemostasis

Platelets, or thrombocytes, are small cell fragments that play a crucial role in blood clotting and wound healing. When a blood vessel is injured, platelets aggregate at the site, forming a temporary plug to prevent blood loss. They also release chemicals that activate the coagulation cascade, leading to the formation of a stable blood clot 78.

Interaction with Other Cells

Platelets interact with endothelial cells and other blood components to maintain vascular integrity and promote tissue repair. Their ability to adhere to damaged vessel walls and recruit additional platelets is essential for effective hemostasis 37.

Conclusion

Understanding the different types of blood cells and their functions is fundamental to comprehending how the circulatory and immune systems operate. Red blood cells are primarily involved in gas transport, white blood cells in immune defense, and platelets in hemostasis. Advances in cell classification techniques continue to enhance our knowledge of these cells, aiding in the diagnosis and treatment of various health conditions.

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Most relevant research papers on this topic

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals new types of human blood dendritic cells, monocytes, and progenitors

Single-cell RNA-seq identifies six dendritic cell subtypes and four monocyte subtypes in human blood, revealing a new subset that potently activates T cells and reclassifying pDCs as natural interferon-producing cells.

In Vitro StudyHighly Cited

2017·

1852citations

·A. Villani et al.

Nomenclature of monocytes and dendritic cells in blood.

This paper proposes a nomenclature for monocytes and dendritic cells in blood, defining three types of monocytes (classical, intermediate, and nonclassical) and three types of dendritic cells (plasmacytoid, myeloid, and myeloid) in human and

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2010·

2268citations

·L. Ziegler-Heitbrock et al.

Red Blood Cells: Chasing Interactions

Red blood cells play a crucial role in oxygen transport, carbon dioxide delivery, and immune response, interacting with various cells in the bloodstream and playing a crucial role in maintaining thrombosis and hemostasis.

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2019·

112citations

·Virginia Pretini et al.

Improved Classification of White Blood Cells with the Generative Adversarial Network and Deep Convolutional Neural Network

The proposed method using generative adversarial networks and deep neural networks effectively classifies white blood cells into five types, with DenseNet-169 yielding a validation accuracy of 98.8%.

2020·

60citations

·Khaled Almezhghwi et al.

Cell-type specific gene expression profiles of leukocytes in human peripheral blood

Cell-type specific gene expression profiles for blood leukocytes reveal a strong enrichment of cell surface proteins, potentially reflecting the importance of environmental sensing systems for leukocyte function.

In Vitro StudyHighly Cited

2006·

304citations

·C. Palmer et al.

White blood cell type identification using multi-layer convolutional features with an extreme-learning machine

The MLANet-FS-ELM model accurately identifies white blood cell types (Lymphocytes, Monocytes, Neutrophils, Eosinophils, and Basophils) with 99.99% training accuracy and 99.12% testing accuracy, outperforming alternative methods in the literature.

2021·

26citations

·Altaf H. Khan et al.

A Study of Blood Cells, Work and Function

This paper proposes image processing algorithms to recognize three types of blood cells (RBC, WBC, and platelets) in the human body, aiding in diagnosis and treatment protocols.

2023·

0citations

·A. - et al.

Blood Cells Classification Using Deep Learning Technique

Convolution Neural Networks can effectively classify human blood cells into subtypes, aiding in disease detection and identification.

2022·

2citations

·Ismail M. I. Alkafrawi et al.

White blood cells detection and classification based on regional convolutional neural networks.

The study developed a computer-aided automated system that accurately detects and classifies white blood cell types in blood images, with ResNet50 showing the best performance with transfer learning.

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2019·

166citations

·Hüseyin Kutlu et al.

BLOOD | Cellular Composition of the Blood

Blood consists of red blood cells, white blood cells, and plasma, with hematocrit and leucocrit indicating the percentages of packed cells occupied by each cell type.

2011·

8citations

·A. Farrell

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