Plasma

Question 1

• What is plasma?
• What type of drug can be used to stop the blood from clotting?
• What separates the red cells from the plasma after the addition of an anticoagulant and centrifugation?

Answer 1

Liquid component of blood that holds blood cells of whole blood in suspension

Anticoagulant

Buffy coat

Question 2

• How is serum generated?
• What is a buffy coat made out of?
• What are the differences between plasma and serum samples?

Answer 2

blood taken into tube without anticoagulant added, Letting blood clot for several minutes then centrifuging (less coagulation factors and trapping cells and platelets within clot)

Leukocytes and platelets

Plasma faster to prepare
Serum is cleaner as no clotting factors

Question 3

• Name the 4 main fluid compartments in humans
• Where is interstitial fluid found?
• Why does interstitial fluid play an important role?

Answer 3

Intracellular (55%) inside cells
Extracellular which includes:
 - Interstitial (36%) between cells 
 - Blood Plasma (7%)
 - Transcellular (2%)

Outside of cells - lymph drains

Carrying oxygen and nutrients to cells and also acts as a vehicle for the removal of cellular waste products

Question 4

• How is interstitial fluid drained and what is it known as when it is drained?
• What do transcellular fluids include?
• What is the most abundant plasma protein?

Answer 4

through lymphatic vessels
Lymph

Occular and Cerebrospinal fluid

Albumin (55%)

Question 5

• Where is serum albumin produced?
• What is A1AT, where is it produced and what does it do?
• What do neutrophils release during inflammation?

Answer 5

Liver

Alpha-1-antitrypsin, liver, inhibits proteases and protects tissues from enzymes eg those released by neutrophils

neutrophil elastase

Question 6

• What is the effect of defective or deficient A1AT to the lungs?
• What is the function of alpha2-macroglobulin?
• What does haptoglobin bind to and what disease does it diagnose for

Answer 6

respiratory problems and loss of elasticity of lung tissue
due to degradation of lung tissue
more vulnerable to inhaled pollutants

haemoglobin released by erythrocytes, haemoglobin haptoglobin complex removed by spleen, haemolytic anaemia

protease inhibitor, mainly to inhibit plasmin and stop fibrinolysis (so blood clot not destroyed)

Question 7

• What is the role of transferrin?
• Where is transferrin generated?
• What are the 2 main gamma globulins and what can they be used for?

Answer 7

Transportation of Iron- both dietary iron and iron released from iron stores ferritin

liver

C reactive protein
Immunoglobin
Diagnostic uses- increase in certain immunoglobins indicates infection or myeloma

Question 8

• What is the most plentiful cation in plasma?
• What balances the charge of intracellular K+?
• Why is there typically an increase in intracellular Ca2+?
• what is intracellular MG2+ used for

Answer 8

Na+

Cl- and various anions eg proteins, nucleic acids, phosphorylated proteins

release of intracellular stores or due to cell signalling and calcium ion channels from extracellular into intracellular

co factor to many enzymes

Question 9

• How are the electrolyte gradients maintained?
• What is the name of the protein used in the Na+/K+ pump?
• For every 3 Na+ actively transported out how many K+ in?

Answer 9

active transport by protein pumps eg Na+ K+ ATP ase, using energy from hydrolysis of ATP

Na+ K+ ATPase

2

Question 10

• What is the main difference between the composition of plasma and interstitial fluid?
• What are the main functions of serum albumin?

Answer 10

Plasma has more proteins

Transportation of lipids, hormones and ions
maintain osmotic pressure
fatty acids released by lipolysis are transported by albumin for beta oxidation

Question 11

Functions of plasma?

Answer 11

Clotting eg clotting factors and VWF

Immune defence- antibodies and complement

Osmotic pressure balance- albumin

Metabolism- transport glucose, amino acids and vitamins

Endocrine- hormones that are soluble in plasma

Excretion- waste product eg urea

Question 12

• What is the function of alpha2-macroglobulin?

Answer 12

It is a broadly active protease inhibitor which can inactivate fibrinolysis, the breakdown of fibrin involved in blood clotting

Question 13

What do SST have (serum separator tubes)

what is serum

Answer 13

silica layer which induces clotting
a layer of gel forming a physical barrier between cells and serum

plasma without clotting factors

Question 14

• What is convalescent plasma?

Answer 14

plasma taken from a healthy individual to a diseased one
contains high levels of polyclonal antibodies specific to disease
It is still used as a prophylactic treatment, taken post exposure to a variety of viruses, including hepatitis B and rabies

Question 15

• Give examples of Beta Globulins?

Answer 15

C3 complement protein , C4 complement protein , Transferrin

Question 16

how are plasma proteins used as biomarkers

how are plasma proteins used in passive immunotherapy

Answer 16

plasma and serum can be subject to laboratory tests- elevated levels of some things eg creatine kinase provide biomarkers for disease.

immunoglobins can transfer immunity from one individual to another

Question 17

what is intravenous immunoglobin G

what is Hyperimmune globin

Answer 17

allows for large amounts of IgG to be transferred
protects against most of the pathogens the donors are exposed to eg mumps measles rubella

donors are screened for high levels of a particular pathogen
IgG fraction is isolated and concentrated
provides passive immunity to a specific pathogen eg rabies, Hepatitis B