Immune System and Diseases: Clotting Flashcards
What is clotting
The mechanism by which broken blood vessels are repaired when damaged
Function of clotting
Prevents blood from the body
Limits pathogen access to the bloodstream when the skin is broken
2 components of blood clot
Platelets and insoluble fibrin strands
Platelets
Undergo a structural chnage when activate to form a stickyplug at the damaged region
What is primary haemostasis
Platelets
Fibrin Strands
Form an insoluble mesh of fibres that trap blood cells at the site of the damage
What is the secondary haemostasis
Fibrin strands
Basic understandings
-Clotting factors are released from platelets
-The cascade results in the rapid conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin by thrombin
What is Coagulation Cascade
Process where blood clots are formed involves complex sets of reactions
Steps of coagulation cascade
-Clotting factors are released
-Localized vasoconstriction
-Conversion of the inactive zymogen prothrombin to the activated enzyme thrombin
-Fibrinogen becomes fibrin
-Blood cells are trapped
-Enzyme plasmin is activated
Explain step 1 of Coagulation Cascade (Clotting factors)
Cause platelets to become sticky and adhere to damaged region to form a solid plug
Explain step 2: Clotting factors
Initiate localized vasoconstriction to reduce blood flow through damaged region
Explain step 3: Clotting factors also trigger
The conversion of the inactive zymogen prothrobin into the activated enzyme thrombin
Explain step 4
Throbin catalysis the conversion of the soluable plasma protein fibrogonen in the insoluble fibrous form called fibrin
Explain step 5
Fibrin strands form a mesh of fibers around the platelet plug and traps blood cells to form a temporary clot
