Plasma Flashcards
What are the 4 main fluid compartments in the human body?
interstitial fluid, intracellular, extracellular,
transcellular fluid
What is the largest fluid compartment in the human body?
Intracellular (55%)
What is the fluid found between cells?
Interstitial
What drains interstitial fluid from the tissues?
lymphatic vessels (drained interstitial fluid is also known as lymph when collected by these vessels)
What does interstitial fluid play a vital role in?
Carrying oxygen and nutrients to cells and also acts as a vehicle for the removal of cellular waste products
What is the difference between plasma and interstitial fluid?
Plasma contains much more protein
What do transcellular fluids include?
occular fluids (eye) and cerebrospinal fluid
What is plasma?
The liquid component of blood, comprising of around 55% of a given volume
What is apheresis?
Technique in which blood of a donor is collected and passed through a centrifuge to separate a particular cellular component
What separates red cells and plasma after centrifugation?
Buffy coat
List 5 types of therapeutic apheresis treatments
Plasma exchange Low density Lipid removal Red cell exchange Platelet depletion White blood cell depletion
What conditions are plasma exchange used for?
Treatment if multiple sclerosis and myeloma
What is low density lipid removal used for?
treatment of patients prone to atherosclerosis
What disease is red cell exchange used for?
Treatment of sickle cell disease
What disorders are platelet depletion used for?
Treatment of disorders of homeostasis
What can white cell depletion be used as a treatment for?
treatment of leukaemia
How is serum generated?
Serum is generated by letting blood clot for several minutes
What takes longer to prepare; plasma or serum?
Plasma is relatively quick to prepare whilst serum can generate a cleaner sample (containing few cells) but takes longer to generate.
What is the difference between plasma and serum?
Plasma contains coagulation factors whereas serum doesnβt.
Why does a serum sample not contain coagulation factors?
serum sample is generated from blood allowed to clot
List all the functions of plasma
Clotting Immune defence Osmotic pressure maintenance Metabolism Endocrine Excretion
What percent of plasma is made up of proteins?
7%, which can be assayed by electropheresis
What protein in plasma is closest to the cathode(+) of the electropheresis spectrum?
Albumin
What are the 2 types of proteins present in plasma?
serum albumin and globulins
What is the most abundant plasma protein?
Serum albumin (55%)
What produces serum albumin?
Liver
What are the key functions of serum albumin?
Transport of lipids, hormones and ions and maintaining osmotic pressure of plasma
What represents alpha 1 globulins?
alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT)
What organ secretes A1AT?
Liver
What is the role of alpha-1-antitrypsin?
inhibition of enzymes which breakdown proteins (proteases). By inhibiting proteases, A1AT helps to protect tissues from a variety of enzymes, notably the protease neutrophil elastase
What protein do neutrophils release during inflammation?
Neutrophil elastase
How does serum albumin play a role in beta-oxidation?
Helps transport FAs to sites where beta-oxidation occurs.
What % of plasma proteins is made of globulins?
35%
What can the alpha globulins be grouped into?
Alpha-1 globulins and alpha-2 globulins.
What are the 2 types of alpha-2 globulins?
Haptoglobin and π2 -macroglobulin
Function of haptoglobulin?
Haptoglobin binds to Hb released from erythrocytes and the resulting haptoglobin-Hb complex is removed by the spleen.
Measuring levels of haptoglobin can be informative in the diagnosis of haemolytic anaemia (Blood Cell abnormalities GOL) in combination with other parameters.
What is the function of π2 -macroglobulin?
Broadly active protease inhibitor which can inactive fibrinolysis, the breakdown of fibrin involved in blood clotting
What do beta globulins in the plasma include?
Complement proteins C3 and C4, and transferrin
What protein transports iron?
Transferrin
Transferrin transports both dietary iron and that released from the stores of ferritin.
What organ generates transferrin?
Liver
What are the examples of gamma globulins in plasma?
Immunoglobulins (antibodies) and the acute-phase protein C-reactive protein
What do increases in the relative amounts of the gamma globulins reflect?
Increased immune system activity, associated with infection.
What is the most plentiful cation in the plasma?
Sodium
What is the most plentiful cation in the blood cell?
Potassium
What balances the intracellular potassium in red cells?
Mainly balanced by extracellular Cl-. The internally high concentration of potassium inside the cell is also neutralised by a variety of anions e.g. proteins, nucleic acids, phosphorylated proteins.
Are Ca2+ levels higher inside or outside?
Found at intracellular levels several thousand times lower than those outside the cell. Increases in intracellular calcium are associated with signalling events and can be due to either the opening of calcium channels allowing influx form the exterior, or the release of intracellular stores.
What intracellular ion is an important cofactor for many enzymes?
Magnesium
What pump helps maintains the normal intracellular and extracellular ion concentrations?
Na+ - K+ ATPase - Active transport
Outline the function of the Na+ - K+ ATPase.
Hydrolysis of ATP provides energy for transportation.
Fβor every 3 Na+ ions that are actively transported out of the cell, 2 K+ ions enter the cell.
The significance of the active transport of Na+ and K+ is borne out by the fact that more than one third of the ATP consumed during rest is used to power the Na+-K+-ATPase. Maintaining the gradient of Na+ and K+ is key to the functioning of electrically excitable cells e.g. muscle fibres and neurones and also the maintain of cell volume.
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What happens to the shapes of cells when ATP levels become depleted?
More spherical because of the inward movement of sodium ions and water.
