BIO 271 (CHP. 21) - Blood Plasma

Is a mixture of water, proteins, and other solutes

Name the term.

Blood plasma

When clotting proteins are removed from plasma, the remaining fluid is termed what?

Serum

What is the most abundant compound in plasma that makes up 92% of plasma’s total volume

Water

• Although water is one of the most abundant compounds in plasma….what else is the most abundant compounds?

• Makes up about 7% of the plasma

• Measured amounts of plasma proteins usually range between 6 and 8 grams of protein in a volume of 100 mm of blood

Plasma proteins

Name the type of plasma proteins

(*Note* all these proteins buffer against pH changes and they regulate blood pH)

• Albumins

• Globulins

• Fibrinogen

• Regulatory proteins

• In addition to proteins, plasma contains a variety of other solutes including what?

• Make up less than 1% of blood plasma

• Electrolytes

• Nutrients

• Respiratory gases

• Some hormones

• Waste products

• Help establish and maintain membrane potentials

• Help maintain pH balance

• Help regulate osmosis (control of % of water and salt in the blood)

Examples: Sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, iron, and, bicarbonate

Name the term

Electrolytes

• Chemical messengers that travel in the blood and act on target cells in the body.

Examples: Insulin, thyroid hormone, testosterone, and estrogen

Name the term

Hormones

• Energy source

• Precursor for synthesizing other molecules

Examples: Amino acids, glucose, cholesterol, vitamins, and fatty acids

Name the term

Nutrients

• Oxygen is needed for aerobic cellular respiration

• Carbon dioxide is a waste product produced by cells during this process

Examples: Oxygen, carbon dioxide dissolved in plasma, and carbon dioxide carried as bicarbonate in plasma

Name the term

Respiratory gases

• Serve no function in plasma

• Rather wastes merely are being transported to the liver and kidneys to be removed from the blood

Examples: Breakdown products of metabolism; lactic acid, creatinine, urea, bilirubin, and ammonia

Name the term

Wastes

Is a type of extracellular fluid, meaning it is a body fluid found outside cells

Name the term

Plasma