What’s the Difference Between Plasma and Serum? Plasma is the liquid part of blood that makes up about 55% of the total volume. It carries proteins, nutrients, hormones, and antibodies throughout the body.
Plasma also contains clotting factors, which cause blood to clump together and prevent bleeding after an injury. It can be collected from the blood in plain tubes without anticoagulants, such as those with red stoppers; or in collection tubes with colored stoppers like lavender or purple tops that contain EDTA and green ones that contain heparin.
Coagulation
Plasma is a liquid component of blood that contains water, electrolytes, antibodies, nutrients, and waste products. It also contains clotting factors, which help the body stop bleeding when an injury occurs.
Serum is a liquid component of blood that does not contain clotting factors. It can be separated from whole blood for medical testing or research purposes.
When a cut or wound occurs, blood cells and proteins called fibrin work together to form a clot that prevents excessive bleeding. Coagulation is a normal process, but certain conditions can cause clots to be formed too easily or not break down properly. These conditions include bleeding disorders such as hemophilia and hypercoagulability.
Nutrients
There are a variety of nutrients that your body needs to function properly. Some of these nutrients are called macronutrients, while others are called micronutrients.
Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and water are all considered macronutrients. These are substances that your body needs in large quantities.
They provide energy for your body to do things, including forming red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body.
Your body also uses these nutrients to make hormones and proteins that are essential for your health.
Plasma consists of 90% water, enzymes, salts, and antibodies that help transport nutrients, hormones, and proteins to your various cells in the body. It also helps maintain your pH level and osmotic pressure to support the proper functioning of your cells.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes are the ions that help maintain a healthy balance of body fluids. They help your heart and muscles work properly, allow you to breathe easily, and keep your body’s acid-base balance in check.
There are many different kinds of electrolytes, including sodium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. These ions are found within the cells and in extracellular fluids, such as blood plasma.
Saltwater is an example of an electrolyte solution, which conducts electricity because it consists of sodium (positively charged) and chlorine (negatively charged) atoms that have opposite electrical charges. When these ions are dissolved in a liquid, the liquid conducts electricity because the sodium and chlorine atoms are broken apart and the water molecules move back to being negatively and positively charged.
Antibodies
Antibodies are proteins made by plasma cells (a type of white blood cell) that help the body’s immune system destroy or neutralize an antigen. They bind to an antigen with an interaction similar to a lock and key, or by spatial complementarity.
The light and heavy chains of an antibody are held together by disulfide bonds, forming a symmetrical structure that includes two identical halves with antigen-binding sites between the ends of each chain. There is a hinge in the center to allow flexibility to the protein.
Antibodies bind to different types of antigens, which vary in shape and size. This allows the antibody to recognize a wide range of antigens and to trigger a variety of protective actions, depending on the class or isotype of the antibody.
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Blood Cells
Blood has both a liquid (plasma) and a solid part (blood cells). Plasma is a straw-colored liquid that makes up around 55% of blood.
It contains water, proteins, electrolytes, antibodies, nutrients, and waste products. The liquid part also contains clotting factors, which help control bleeding.
Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body and return carbon dioxide from the body back to the lungs. They are the most common type of blood cell and makeup about 95% of the cells in the blood.
White blood cells (WBCs) are much smaller than red blood cells and protect the body from infection. They are a group of five types of WBCs: lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils.
