Are red blood cells considered as living cells?

Question

Thanks for your many replies. Perhaps we should first define the term "living cells". Should they must satisfy the following conditions to be regarded as "living"?
1) Uptake of nutrients
2) Generate energy / ATP
3) Grow / mitosis
4) Excrete waste

Answer 1

this is a good question. what decides a cell living or nonliving is its metabolic activity. ..now you got me thinking...

But to clear some confusion, they don't have nucleus, and that's why they can't reproduce by themselves.

K...finally got some info from a very good friend, a hematologist. Here is what he says...

"The question you asked is a very very deep one indeed. In fact, we can have a very lively debate about it. It is a very philosophical question, in that it's equivalent to asking, "Is virus a living organism?" If we define life, as you say, by metabolic activities, then yes, red blood cell is a living cell. Red blood cell uses the metabolic pathway of glycosis to generate energy. It also has a variety of proteins and enzymes responsible for signal transduction.

However, a red blood cell is a terminally differentiated cell and more than that it lacks the genetic material, the means and the mechanism to replicate. Given that one of the primary goal of life is to have "offsprings" either through asexual replication or sexual duplication, red blood cell lacks that ability. However, the progenitor of red blood cell (hematopoietic stem cells) does have the ability to replicate and differentiate."

Answer 2

Yes they are living. So long as there is a functional use, they are living cells. Red blood cells do not have a nucleas or mitochondria. Therefore they cannot divide on their own and do not require oxygen for survival. However they survive based on anaerobic process to produce ATP (via Penthose Phophate pathway and glycolysis..) as ATP is required for energy utilization. Mature RBCs do not have a nucleus but during their developemental stages, they had one that slowly degenerated.

After 120 days, the cell membrane of these cells become less pliable (elastic) due to oxidative effect and are destroyed by the reticulo-endothelial systems in the spleen and liver.

Answer 3

To the best of my knowledge, they dont reproduce by mitosis per se, as they have no nucleus (they only have a nuclues at an early stage but then is lost). I think they are made in the bone marrow.

This might help:

Because it contains living cells, blood is alive. Red blood cells and white blood cells are responsible for nourishing and cleansing the body. Since the cells are alive, they too need nourishment. Vitamins and Minerals keep the blood healthy. The blood cells have a definite life cycle, just as all living organisms do.

Answer 4

They initially contained a nucleus and lost it due to the specific functions it has to perform. It still acts as a whole. So initially it was a fully functional cell until it matures for its function. The cells don't have to reproduce to call it a cell. I mean we call neurons cells which does not have the capability to divide. Who gave you that definition?? It matters how the cell orginated .... the blood cell originated as a cell. It doesn't matter what it matures to be ... it is still a cell.

Answer 5

yes it can be considered as living cells. it is a pigmented protein and gives red colour to the blood these are manufactured in the bone marrow such robs and vertebrae. and it will disintegrate in the spleen and liver

Answer 6

well they function as oxygen carrying cells even they dont have a nucleus....their life span is a couple of days or was it weeks? (cant remember) so sure they could be considered living cells

Answer 7

I think so. They reproduce (in the sense of creating more of the same kind- mitosis), they live, and then they die. Its the cycle of any living thing.

But I'm no Science major!

Answer 8

Yes they are. or else how could they have a function! they die every 120 days, they are born in red bone marrow. they dont have organelles because they dnt need them in their function bt that dont mean they're dead.

Answer 9

i dont think they are living coz they are move around by the pumping of heart not on their own.

Answer 10

yes they r
they have multipling nucleus
and require oxygen