What are red blood cells also known as?
Erythrocytes
How many red blood cells are there in the body?
Approximately 3 trillion
What is the function of red blood cells?
To carry oxygen to cells and tissues
How many red blood cells are produced and destroyed every second?
A few million
What is the biomolecule found in the cytoplasm of red blood cells?
Hemoglobin
What does the heme group in hemoglobin bind to?
Oxygen
Where does oxygen get released by hemoglobin?
In the capillaries
What color are red blood cells with heme-bound oxygen?
Bright red
What color are red blood cells in the venous system?
Dark red
What happens to the organelles of red blood cells during differentiation?
They are lost
What is the lifespan of a red blood cell?
About four months
Where are old red blood cells destroyed?
In the liver or spleen