Production of Blood Cells

Blood cells, also called blood corpuscles, are cellular elements of the blood. Red blood cells (erythrocytes), platelets (thrombocytes) and white blood cells (leukocytes) are the three blood cell types. Red blood cells make up most of the body's cells. Platelets are produced from the megakaryocytes (bone marrow cell, which is the source of blood platelets). Platelets are important for blood clotting. White blood cells consist of five precisely different cell types: neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes and monocytes.

Erythrocytes

• Erythrocytes (red blood cells) are filled with hemoglobin (a protein that carries oxygen). The main function of erythrocytes is to transport oxygen to the body cells from the lungs.

Neutrophils

• Neutrophils are white blood cells responsible for protecting most of the body against infections with the ability to phagocytize (ingest or devour) viruses, toxins and foreign cells.

Eosinophils

• Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell containing digestive enzymes effective against parasitic worms.

Basophils

• According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, basophils, the rarest of the white blood cells, represent less than 1 percent of all white blood cell types and are an important part of the immune system. They are little understood but are known to help the body build immunities.

Lymphocytes

• Lymphocytes, white blood cells, play a vital role in our immune response. Lymphocytes consist of T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. T-lymphocytes act against tumor cells and virus-infected cells. B-lymphocytes produce antibodies.

Monocytes

• Monocytes, white blood cells, leave the blood to become macrophages (protection for the body), making the cells phagocytic (able to defend the body against viruses and bacteria).