Plasma Flashcards
What is plasma?
Liquid component of blood
What is the buffy coat?
Consists of leukocytes and platelets ≅1% of blood
What is serum?
Plasma minus the clotting factors
Blood taken into tube without anticoagulant —> allowed to clot and then centrifuged
What do serum separator tubes have?
Silica coating —> induces clotting
Layer of gel forming a physical barrier between cells and serum
Which is quicker to prepare plasma or serum?
Plasma but serum is a cleanser sample
What are our 4 main fluid compartments?
Intracellular
Interstitial fluid
Transcellular fluid
Plasma
What are the functions of plasma?
Clotting
Immune defence
Osmotic pressure maintenance
Metabolism
Endocrine
Excretion
What is plasmas function in clotting?
CF and VWFs
What is plasmas function in immune defence?
Antibodies and compliment factors are found in plasma
What is plasmas function in I osmotic pressure maintenance?
Proteins such albumin help maintain colloidal osmotic pressure
What is plasmas role in metabolism?
Nutrients such as glucose, amino acids and vitamins are transported in the plasma
What is plasmas role in endocrine?
Many hormones are soluble in plasma and following release into the blood travel to their target organs
What is plasmas role in excretion?
Waste products of cell metabolism such as urea are transported via the plasma fraction of the blood to the kidneys fro removal
What are the 2 main types of plasma proteins?
Serum albumin
Globulins
- alpha 1
- alpha 2
- beta 1
- beta 2
- gamma
Where is serum albumin produced?
Liver
What are some key functions of serum albumin?
Transport of lipids, hormones and ions
Main thing osmotic pressure of plasma
Where are alpha 1 globulins produced?
Liver
What do alpha 1 globulins do?
Inhibit proteases
Protects tissues from variety of enzymes —> neutrophil elastase which is released by neutrophils during inflammation
What does a defective or deficient alpha-1-antitrypsin cause?
Compromise the lung —> degradation of lung tissue leads to a loss of elasticity and respiratory problems
Whats does the alpha 2 globulin, haptoglobin do?
Binds to haemoglobin released from erythrocytes —> resulting haptoglobin-Haemoglobin complex removed by spleen
What does measuring levels of haptoglobin inform us of?
Haemolytic anaemia
What does the alpha 2 globulin, macroglobulin do?
Broadly active protease inhibitor —> inactivate fibrinolysis
Where is the beta globulin transferrin generated?
Liver
What does transferrin do?
Role in transportation of iron
Two examples of beta globulins
Compliment proteins C3 and C4
Transferrin
Two examples of gamma globulins
Immunoglobulins
C-reactive protein
What does an increase in the relative amount of gamma globulins indicate?
Infection or myeloma
What electrolytes are found in plasma?
Na+
K+
Ca2+
Mg2+
Cl-
How is plasma used for biomarkers?
Plasma and serum provide an easy to obtain clinical specimen —> can be subjected to lab tests for diagnostic purposes
Elevated levels of some key molecules —> biomarker for disease
How is plasma used in passive immunotherapy?
Immunoglobulins found in the gamma globulin fraction can be used to transfer immunity from one individual to another
How can plasma be a potential COVID-19 therapeutic?
Patients infected w/ SARS-CoV-2 develop antibodies against the virus
After patients has recovered —> blood donated to obtain antibody-rich plasma
Plasma tested for strength and number of antibodies
If levels are fine —> plasma given to patient infected with COVID-19
