Plasma, also known as blood plasma, appears light-yellowish or straw-colored. It serves as the liquid base for whole blood. Whole blood minus erythrocytes (RBCs), leukocytes (WBCs), and thrombocytes (platelets) make up the plasma.
Plasma contains 91% to 92% of water and 8% to 9% of solids. The blood plasma contains many small organic molecules, acts as a transport system for many larger ones, and is itself characterized by its content of the plasma proteins.
Plasma serves as a transport medium for delivering nutrients, hormones, and proteins to the different parts of the body. It also carries away the waste products of cell metabolism from various tissues to the organs responsible transporting waste products derived from cellular metabolism to the kidneys, liver, and lungs for excretion. In addition, plasma is the vehicle for the transport of the blood cells through the blood vessels.
Plasma can be collected from blood, and it contains approximately 10–20% more proteins than serum due to the presence of the clotting factors that are lost during serum collection. Plasma is usually used when a quick analysis is required.
Human blood plasma
