Umbilical cord is a flexible cord like structure that connects the developing fetus or embryo with the placenta. It consists of two umbilical arteries and one vein; umbilical vein is responsible for providing oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to the developing fetus and the umbilical arteries remove the deoxygenated, nutrient-depleted blood. An umbilical cord is about 50 cm long and has a diameter of about 2 cm.
Umbilical Cord Blood
In general, the umbilical cord is cut after a baby is born; however some amount of blood still remains in the placental blood vessels and its attached umbilical cord. This blood is called umbilical cord blood or placental blood or simply cord blood. About 180 ml of cord blood can be obtained at the time of childbirth.
Cord blood contains all the basic elements of blood such as red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), blood platelets and plasma. In addition, it contains blood-forming (hematopoietic) stem cells similar to the ones found in the bone marrow. They have the potential to develop into other types of cells of the body. Because of this important property of hematopoietic stem cells, cord blood is used for transplantation as an alternative to bone marrow.
