Through the Microscope: Blood Cells - Life's Blood

Nucleated red blood cell

Nucleated red blood cells, (nrbcs or normoblasts), represent the stages of a red blood cell before it matures. Cells of this stage are usually seen in newborn infants, and in patients with responses to hemolytic crises, such as in megaloblastic anemia and iron deficiency anemia.

The average size of the normoblast is 7-12 µm in diameter. The cytoplasm is pink. The nucleus is pyknotic (a homogeneous blue-black mass with no structure).