Erythrocytes

• Erythrocytes carry oxygenated blood to different organs and transport carbon dioxide from tissues to lungs
• Erythrocytes are derived from adult stem cells in the bone marrow
• smooth surface and biconcave shape allows it to fit through capillaries easily
• Erythrocytes lack organelles reducing its life span
• large surface area to volume ratio allows more oxygen to be transported in the cells
• the enzyme carbon anhydrase helps transport carbon dioxide from tissues to lungs
• Erythrocytes circulate for 4 months before being destroyed in liver by phagocytes
• erythrocytes

  • biconcave shape to increase surface area for diffusion and increase cell flexibility to fit through capillaries
  • no nucleus so can have space to carry more haemoglobin to increase transport of oxygen