He blood plasma Is the liquid part of the blood and constitutes the bulk of its volume, with 55% of the total volume of blood in the human body. It is mainly composed of water and transports the blood cells around the body. Blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma.
The functions of the blood plasma are vital for the immune defense of the body of the human being, since it plays an essential role in the process of blood coagulation and the irrigation of the blood throughout the organism.
Plasma helps maintain blood pressure and regulates body temperature. It contains a complex mixture of substances used by the body to perform important functions.
The substances that make up the plasma are water (up to 95% by volume), dissolved proteins (serum albumin, globulins and fibrinogen), glucose, coagulation factors, electrolytes (Na +, Ca2 +, Mg2 +, HCO3-, Cl-, Etc.), hormones, carbon dioxide and oxygen.
The main purpose of plasma is to transport nutrients, hormones and proteins to the parts of the body that need it. In turn, the cells also deposit their waste products into the plasma to be removed.
Plasma is a critical component in the treatment of many serious health problems. This is why people are encouraged to donate it.
Along with water, salt and enzymes, human plasma also contains important components. These include immunoglobulins (antibodies), coagulation factors, and proteins albumin and fibrinogen.
When blood is donated, health care professionals can isolate these components and concentrate them for use as treatments for burns, trauma, and other medical emergencies.
Plasma proteins and antibodies are also used to create therapies for rare chronic diseases, such as autoimmune disorders and hemophilia.
What are the functions of blood plasma?
Blood plasma is responsible for a wide variety of body functions. Among the main functions of blood plasma can be mentioned:
Nutritive function
From which the blood plasma is responsible for transporting to the tissues of the body, different substances of an alimentary nature.
These substances correspond to glucose, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
Transport function
The blood plasma is responsible and responsible for transferring nutrients throughout the body. These are distributed to the different cells present in the metabolism, responsible for different functions of the body and healthy growth of the individual.
Excretory function
This is related to the transport function of blood plasma. It is through the excretory function that the plasma transports the organic waste originated by the cells present in it, towards the kidneys. In turn, they are responsible for filtering and eliminating them through the urine.
Homeostatic function
It is thanks to this function of the blood plasma that the organism remains in equilibrium.
That is, plasma also serves the function of maintaining constant different physiological situations, such as body temperature, blood glucose, blood oxygen level, among others.
Blood volume regulation function
It is one of the tasks of the blood plasma referring to the regulation of different organic functions.
In this case, the plasma is responsible for regulating the proteins present in it, particularly the protein of the albumin .
It is thanks to this that the body can repair the tissues of the body when they are damaged. And, at the same time, it is in charge of the growth of new fabrics.
It is important that plasma regulates the amount of albumins present in it, since also, the existence of them is vital to maintain blood pressure.
If a Deregulation of these proteins Increase the blood volume and as a consequence would increase the blood pressure, being a danger for the heart, and for the life of the subject.
Thermal regulation function
This plasma function is intimately related to the homeostatic function, because the plasma is responsible for maintaining the body temperature, intervening for its regulation.
Electrolyte balance or regulation function
The electrolytes correspond to the salts present in the blood plasma. These include, for example, calcium, magnesium, potassium, among many others.
Being the ones in charge of a great variety of corporal functions, these salts must be regulated by the plasma because a deficit of them would produce diverse corporal problems: disadvantages in the contraction of the muscles and the inability of the nerves to send the signals corresponding to the brain and vice versa.
Chemical function
Plasma fulfills the function of immune protection against possible infections to which the body can be exposed.
Blood plasma has the task of the immunological defense of the human beings, being that it transports the albumen to the whole body, along with the Immunoglobulins (Antibodies), responsible for fighting any foreign substance for him.
It not only defends the body of immune infections, but also does it regarding possible blood loss.
Other possible functions
The existence of blood plasma is of vital importance to the life of humans. For different situations, when the blood plasma is affected, it can be at risk. Therefore, the plasma can be donated from one subject to another, through the extraction of blood.
It is thanks to this process, which is called Plasmapheresis , That the person receiving the blood of the donor can cover different deficiencies of their organ system, such as regulation of red and / or white blood cells, at the same time that the platelet count can be adjusted, if there is a deficit in the same.
Also the plasma can be used for the treatment of different immunological diseases.
At the same time it can be used to assist in the coagulation of blood in cases of hemophilia (Hemorrhages).
Being the transport of different substances and the regulator of different elements present in it, which affect the organic balance, plasma can also be used for the treatment of respiratory failure. And, to aid the healing process or tissue reconstruction in case of operations or serious injuries.
References
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