What is the function of erythrocytes?

What is the function of erythrocytes?

• A. Transport oxygen and carbon dioxide.
• B. Protect the body against pathogens.
• C. Prevent blood loss and help with clotting.
• D. Water, proteins, electrolytes, nutrients, hormones.

Answer: (A)

The function being tested is the transport of gases in the blood. Erythrocytes, or red blood cells, carry oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body using hemoglobin, which has heme groups that bind O2. This oxygen is released where it’s needed for cellular respiration. They also help remove carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, by transporting it from tissues back to the lungs to be exhaled. CO2 is carried in several forms, including dissolved bicarbonate in plasma and as carbaminohemoglobin bound to hemoglobin, facilitating its removal. The efficiency of this gas exchange is aided by the red blood cells’ biconcave shape, which increases surface area for oxygen and carbon dioxide diffusion. Other options describe different blood components: protection against pathogens is the role of white blood cells and specific immune factors; preventing blood loss is primarily the job of platelets and clotting factors; and the listed item about water, proteins, electrolytes, nutrients, and hormones describes blood plasma composition, not the function of erythrocytes.

The function being tested is the transport of gases in the blood. Erythrocytes, or red blood cells, carry oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body using hemoglobin, which has heme groups that bind O2. This oxygen is released where it’s needed for cellular respiration. They also help remove carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, by transporting it from tissues back to the lungs to be exhaled. CO2 is carried in several forms, including dissolved bicarbonate in plasma and as carbaminohemoglobin bound to hemoglobin, facilitating its removal. The efficiency of this gas exchange is aided by the red blood cells’ biconcave shape, which increases surface area for oxygen and carbon dioxide diffusion. Other options describe different blood components: protection against pathogens is the role of white blood cells and specific immune factors; preventing blood loss is primarily the job of platelets and clotting factors; and the listed item about water, proteins, electrolytes, nutrients, and hormones describes blood plasma composition, not the function of erythrocytes.