Blood and Tissue Fluid

explain the differences between

blood, tissue fluid and lymph
describe how tissue fluid is formed
from plasma;

Blood
Blood is liquid held in our blood vessels
It consists of:
Plasma: watery fluid containing dissolved oxygen,
carbon dioxide, salt, glucose, fatty acids, amino acids,
hormones and plasma proteins (proteins made in the
liver)
Cells including red blood cells (erythrocytes) white
blood cells (leucocytes) and platelets

Tissue Fluid
Similar to blood but does not contain most of the
cells found in blood or any plasma proteins
Role is to transport oxygen and nutrients from the
blood to the cells and to carry carbon dioxide and
other wastes back to the blood

Task
Using Biology 1 p77-78, explain what
tissue fluid is and how it is formed
Complete SAQ 9 & 10 on p78

How Tissue Fluid is Formed?

When blood is under high pressure in
the artery before it enters the capillary,
some blood fluid is pushed out of the
capillaries though tiny gaps in the
capillary wall, this is called tissue fluid.
The pressure that the blood is under
due to the contraction of the heart is
called hydrostatic pressure (a bit like
fluid pushing up against the walls of a
container)

What is in Tissue Fluid?

Plasma with dissolved nutrients and
oxygen
The red blood cells, platelets and
most of the white blood cells remain
in the blood, with the plasma
proteins. These are too large to fit
through the gaps in the capillary wall

What does tissue fluid do?

It surrounds the body cells, so
exchange of gases and nutrients can
occur across the cell membranes
(plasma membranes)
This exchange occurs by diffusion and
facilitated diffusion
Oxygen and nutrients (e.g. glucose)
enter the cells, carbon dioxide and
other wastes (e.g. urea) leave the cells

How does the fluid get back

into the blood?
The tissue fluid itself has some hydrostatic
pressure and is pushed up against the
capillaries allowing it to re-enter
The blood and the tissue fluid both contain
solutes (dissolved substances) making
their water potential more negative
The bloods water potential is usually more
negative so water tends to move from the
tissue fluid back into the blood by osmosis,
down the water potential gradient

Water potential: the analogy

Imagine 3 people, all of whom have a bank account
with an overdraft (which means they can borrow money
from the bank and make their account negative)

Whom should give money to

whom?
Jim (Computer
Designer)
$0

Bill (Student)
-$800

Shelly (Office Worker)

-$475

Water potential: the analogy

Imagine 3 people, all of whom have a bank account
with an overdraft (which means they can borrow money
from the bank and make their account negative)

Total = -$1275 /3
Bill (Student)
-$425
Jim (Computer
Designer)
-$425
Shelly (Office Worker)
-$425

Total Hydrostatic pressure = 4.3-1.1 = 3.2kPa

Effective blood pressure

= 3.2 - 2 = 1.2kPa

Total water potential = -3.3 (-1.3) = -2kPa

Inside capillary (arterial end) fluid moves out of

capillary as tissue fluid

Arterial
end
Tissue fluid has lower
hydrostatic pressure

High hydrostatic
pressure in capillary

Tissue fluid has higher

hydrostatic pressure

Hydrostatic pressure = 4.3

Water potential = -3.3

Hydrostatic pressure = 1.1

Lower hydrostatic
pressure in capillary

Hydrostatic pressure = 1.1

Hydrostatic pressure = 1.6

Water potential = -3.3
Water potential = -1.3

Water potential = -1.3

Venous
end

Total Hydrostatic pressure = 1.6 -1.1 = 0.5kPa

Effective blood pressure

= 0.5 - 2 = -1.5kPa

Total water potential = -3.3 (-1.3) = -2kPa

Inside capillary (venous end) fluid moves into

capillary from tissue fluid

Movement back into the

blood stream
At the venous (vein) end of the capillary,
the blood has lost its hydrostatic pressure.
The combined effect of the hydrostatic
pressure in the tissue fluid and the
osmotic force of the plasma proteins is
sufficient to move fluid back into the
capillary.
It carries with it any dissolved waste
substances, such as carbon dioxide, that
have left the cells

Lymph
Complete the following questions using Biology 1 p78
1. What determines the amount of fluid leaving the
capillaries?
2. Explain why fluid flows out at the arterial end and in the
venous end
3. What is tissue fluid?
4. What is lymph?
5. How does tissue fluid get into the lymphatic system?
6. What is oedema?

Feature

Blood

Cells

Tissue Fluid

Lymph

Some
phagocytic
white blood
cells

Proteins

Some proteins

Fats

Some
transported as
lipoproteins

Some/none

More than in
blood
(absorbed from
lacteals in
intestine-villi)

Glucose

80-120mg per
100ml

More/less

More/less

Amino Acids

More/less

More/less

More/less

Oxygen

More/less

More/less

More/less

Carbon dioxide

Lot/little

More/less

More/less

Feature

Blood

Tissue Fluid

Lymph

Cells

Erythrocytes,
leucocytes and
platelets

Some
phagocytic
white blood
cells

Lymphocytes

Proteins

Hormones and
plasma
proteins

Some
hormones,
proteins
secreted by
body cells

Some proteins

Fats

Some
transported as
lipoproteins

None

More than in
blood
(absorbed from
lacteals in
intestine-villi)

Glucose

80-120mg per
100ml

Less (absorbed
by body cells)

Less

Amino Acids

More

Less (absorbed
by body cells)

Less

Oxygen

More

Less (absorbed
by body cells)

Less

Carriage of Oxygen
describe the role of haemoglobin in
carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide;
describe and explain the significance
of the dissociation curves of adult
oxyhaemoglobin at different carbon
dioxide levels (the Bohr effect);
explain the significance of the different
affinities of fetal haemoglobin and
adult haemoglobin for oxygen.

Task
Using Biology 1 p80-84, produce a
revision box for each of the following:
Haemoglobin dissociation curve
Carbon dioxide transport in the blood
The Bohr shift
Fetal Haemoglobin
You are limited to one piece of A3 paperyou will need to read the information,
decide what is important, and include
it in the box, highlighting key terms

Haemoglobin Dissociation Curve

Carbon Dioxide Transport

The Bohr Shift

Fetal Haemoglobin