Plasma

Question 1

What is the majority of the water in a human body and its function?

Answer 1

-Male of 70kg made up of around 60L of water
-Majority of this water (55%) is intracellular
-Of the extracellular fluid, next largest is interstitial fluid (fluid found between cells)
Interstitial fluid plays vital role in carrying oxygen and nutrients to cells and acts as vehicle for removal of waste products
-Interstitial fluid is drained from the tissues by the lymphatic vessel (also known as lymph when collected by these vessels
-Lymph drains to secondary lymphoid organs such as lymph nodes and is component of adaptive immune response

Question 2

What is plasma ?

Answer 2

• Plasma makes up second largest component of the extracellular fluids making up around -7% of total bodily fluids and is liquid competent of blood
• Plasma v similar to composition of interstitial fluid but plasma contains more protein
• A group of fluids collectively referred to as transcellular fluid make up remaining fluids of the body and includes ocular fluids (found within the eye) and cerebrospinal fluid

Question 3

What makes up blood? How do you stop it from clotting?

Answer 3

• Treat whole blood with anticoagulant to stop blood from clotting and then centrifuge sample:
• Red cells around 45% of whole blood and separated from plasma by the Buffy coat, this consists of leukocytes and platelets and makes up less than 1% of whole blood
• Apherisis is technique where donor blood collected and passed through centrifuge to separate cellular component with remaining retuned to donor and so different cell fractions can be purified for further use

Question 4

How is serum generated?

Answer 4

-Serum is generated by letting blood to clot for several mins, depleting plasma of coagulation factors and trapping cells and platelets within the clot

Question 5

Describe serum albumin

Answer 5

1. Serum albumin makes up around 55% of total plasma proteins and is produced by the liver
2. Serum albumin has several key functions including transport of lipid, hormones and ions and maintaining the osmotic pressure of plasma
3. Fatty acids are released by lipolysis from breakdown of triglycerides in adipose tissue and albumin plays key role in transporting these around body for use by other tissues in beta-oxidation

Question 6

What are the two types of alpha goblins?

Answer 6

This group born down into alpha-1 globulin and alpha-2 globulins

Question 7

What are examples of beta globulins? Where are they produced?

Answer 7

1. Beta globulins include complement proteins C3 and C4
2. The protein transferrin is also a beta globulin and plays role in transport of iron
3. Generated by the liver, transferring transports both dietary iron and that rebased from stores of ferritin

Question 8

What are examples of gamma globulins?

Answer 8

1. Immunoglobulins (antibodies) and the acute phase protein C-reactive protein
2. Increases in the relative amounts of the gamma fraction of globulins can reflect increase immune system activity, associated with infection

Question 9

What are the different electrolytes?

Answer 9

1. Sodium most plentiful cation in plasma and found at levels 30 times lower inside rbc
2. Potassium levels are 30 times lower outside rbc
3. Calcium ions found at intracellular levels several thousand times lower than outside cell
4. Intracellular magnesium is important cofactor for many enzymes

Question 10

What is the Na+-K+-ATPase?

Answer 10

1. Active transport
2. ATPase since hydrolysis of ATP is required to provide energy for transportation
3. Three Na+ ions out
4. Two K+ ions enter the cell
   - Significance of active transport of Na+ and K+ born out by fact more than one third of ATP consumed during rest used to power Na+-K+-ATPase

Question 11

What is serum 1 alpha globulins?

Answer 11

Serum Alpha 1 globulins are represented by alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT)

Question 12

Where are serum 1 alpha globulins produced?

Answer 12

produced by liver

Question 13

What does serum 1 alpha globulins do?

Answer 13

enters circulation where inhibits proteases and by doing this A1AT protects tissue from enzymes e.g. protease neutrophil elastase released by neutrophils during inflammation

Question 14

What can deficient A1AT lead to?

Answer 14

Defective of deficient A1AT can comprise the ling where degradation of lung tissue leads to loss of elasticity and reparatory problems

Question 15

What is serum alpha-2 globulins?

Answer 15

Alpha02 globulins are typified by haptoglobin and alpha2-macroglobulin

Question 16

What does haptoglobulin do?

Answer 16

Haptoglobin binds to haemoglobin rebased from erythrocytes and the resulting haptoglobin-haemoglobin complex is removed by the spleen

Question 17

When would you measure levels of haptoglobulin?

Answer 17

Measuring levels of haptoglobin can be informative in the diagnosis of haemolytic anaemia in combination with other parameter

Question 18

What does alpha-2 macro globulin do?

Answer 18

Alpha2-macroglobin is a broadly active protease inhibitor which can inactive fibrinolysis, the breakdown of fibrin involved in blood clotting

Question 19

How is the positive charge from the intracellular potassium mostly balanced?

Answer 19

-mainly balanced by extracellular chloride ions

Question 20

How is the internally high conc of potassium inside the cell neutralised?

Answer 20

by a variety of anions e.g. proteins, nucleic acids, phosphorylated proteins

Question 21

What are increases in intracellular calcium are associated with?

Answer 21

Increases in signalling events and can be due to either the opening of calcium channels allowing influx form the exterior or the release of intracellular stores

Question 22

What happens as ATP levels get less?

Answer 22

When ATP levels become depleted, cells have a tendency to become more spherical because of inward movement of sodium ions and water

Question 23

What is the difference between plasma and serum?

Answer 23

• Both 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 provide biomarkers of disease
• over 1,000 unique proteins in serum either secreted by cells or related during cell death
• Plasma quick to prepare when serum is longer but can generate cleaner sample (containing few cells)