that theblood it's a living tissue that circulates through the body is not new to anyone, is it? However, many people do not know where it is produced, much less that it is constantly manufactured in our bodies. Are we going to understand how blood tissue is produced?
First of all we must remember that blood is formed by plasma, which is a liquid part composed mainly of water, and some cellular components called erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets. Red blood cells are concerned with the transport of oxygen throughout the body; leukocytes, with the defense process; and platelets act on clotting.
Blood is mainly produced inside the flat bones, those with very reduced thickness. As an example of these bones, we can mention the vertebrae, ribs, hip bones, skull and external. In children up to approximately five years of age, blood is produced in virtually all bones. During pregnancy, blood production also occurs in the yolk sac, spleen and liver.
Inside the bones, we find the red bone marrow, a jellylike structure that is responsible for the production of blood cells. As bones develop, the marrow is replaced by a structure with a greater amount of fat, the so-called yellow bone marrow, which is unable to produce blood cells. This is why, in adults, not all bones produce blood components.
Note that hematopoietic stem cells give rise to blood cells
The process of producing blood cells is called hematopoiesis or hemopoiesis and it starts with the production of a cell called a stem cell, also called a hematopoietic stem cell. This cell gives rise to erythrocytes, leukocytes and megakaryocytes. The latter undergo fragmentation and form platelets. Therefore, we can conclude that platelets, in reality, are not cells, but cell fragments.
Blood plasma is not formed by the process of marrow hematopoiesis. This liquid part, in fact, is mainly formed by the water we drink, which enters the bloodstream through our intestines. This water dissolves salts, hormones, proteins and other substances and then forms plasma.
ATTENTION:Bone marrow should not be confused with the spinal cord, which is a portion of the central nervous system.
