Blood group antigens are carbohydrates that are attached to proteins or lipids. An antigen is a substance foreign to the body that causes an immune response. An immune response occurs when antibodies, which are proteins in your immune system, are summoned to attack an antigen.
Blood that reaches the lungs travels throughout a network of small blood vessels, where oxygen moves into the blood and carbon dioxide moves out of the blood, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Here, oxygen from the inhaled air passes through the alveoli walls and into the blood. After absorbing oxygen, the blood leaves the lungs and is carried to your heart. Your heart then pumps it through your body to provide oxygen to the cells of your tissues and organs. As the cells use the oxygen, carbon dioxide is produced and absorbed into the blood.