He blood serum Is a component of blood characterized by the absence of red blood cells, white blood cells or coagulant agents. It is defined as plasma in the blood that does not include any fibrinogen or proteins produced by the liver for blood clotting.
In summary, blood serum is defined as the combination of all proteins, electrolytes, antibodies, antigens, hormones and exogenous substances that do not contribute to the process of blood clotting.
The appearance of blood serum is characterized by being yellow and liquid. This liquid is mostly an aqueous medium often used for the development of cells in vitro due to the high concentration of hormones, nutrients and non-coagulant proteins present in it.
One of the blood serum most commonly used for eukaryotic cell growth in vitro is Bovine Fetal Serum or SFB (Rhoades & Bell, 2009).
Serum is the blood component most used to check different blood groups and diagnose certain diseases and levels of nutrients and hormones necessary for the correct functioning of the body.
The science that deals with the study and treatment of blood serum is known as serology.
Serology
Serology is a branch of the medical sciences in charge of studying the blood serum in order to detect the presence of antibodies produced by the body to fight infection.
The serology test is performed by taking a blood sample from the veins - usually from the elbow flexion or the front of the elbow. To take this sample the skin must be germ free and the space must have excellent hygienic conditions.
The sample is taken with a needle directly from the interior of the vein through which the blood passes and is collected in a tube attached to the needle.
Serology analyzes the blood sample to determine how certain antibodies react to the presence of antigens. In this way it can be determined whether or not microorganisms are responsible for an infection in the body.
Serological tests
Among the most common techniques used by serology are agglutination, precipitation, and fixation of the complement, among others (A.D.A.M., 2009).
• Agglutination Analysis: exposes the antibodies present in the body to specific antigens to determine if they are agglutinated or not.
• Precipitation analysis: it measures the similarity of different antigens based on the presence of antibodies in body fluids.
• Fixation of the complement: it is an immunological test used to determine the presence of antibodies that when mixed with antigens can react denoting the presence of an infection.
Serological complement fixation process (Acharya, 2015)
Result of serology
The results of a serological analysis may indicate the presence of antibodies in the body in order to detect the presence of an infection. The normal results are characterized by the absence of antibodies, whereas the abnormal results show that there is a response by the immune system to the presence of a microorganism or antigen (O'Connell, 2015).
Serological analysis may indicate the existence of a disorder in the autoimmune system as long as the presence of antibodies against normal body proteins and antigens is detected.
Some of the infections that can be detected in the blood serum are:
• Amebiasis
• Brucellosis
• Acquired Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Mushrooms
• Measles
• Rubella
• Syphilis
• Viral hepatitis (various types)
Differences between plasma and blood serum
Both serum and plasma are blood components that are often confused because their appearance is similar.
While serum does not include any type of fibrinogen, the plasma is partially formed by such coagulant proteins and other types of cells and blood components such as red blood cells, white blood cells, LDL, HDL, transferrin and prothrombin. (Wilkin & Brainard, 2015)
Both plasma and serum are components of blood that are often used to make blood tests. Each of these components is composed of hormones, glucose, electrolytes, antibodies, antigens, nutrients and other particles.
However, what radically differentiates these two blood components is the presence of coagulating agents. It can be said that the blood serum is equal to the plasma removing any type of coagulating agent (HAYAT, 2012).
Differences between plasma and blood serum (Medical-Labs, 2014)
Fetal bovine serum
Fetal bovine serum is a type of blood serum from the blood of the fetus of the cow, commonly used for the culture of eukaryotic cells in vitro thanks to its high content of hormones and nutrients and the low levels of antibodies present in it.
This type of blood serum consists of hormones and accelerated growth factors that allow it to be an effective medium for the cultivation of human cells and tissues with different metabolic requirements.
At the moment there is much controversy about the extraction of this type of blood serum, since it must be taken from the fetus of the pregnant mother cow at the moment of its execution in the abattoir.
Despite ethical questions on this subject, bovine blood serum remains one of the most commonly used aqueous media for human cell culture in the world. It is estimated that 500,000 liters of fetal bovine serum are produced annually in the world, equivalent to the extraction of one million fetuses a year.
Risks associated with the use of fetal bovine serum
There are some reasons why fetal bovine serum should not be used in the field of scientific research (Even, Sandusky, & Barnard, 2006):
1. Bovine fetal serum may contain contaminants that once present in the solution are impossible to remove from the cell culture.
2. Many substances present in bovine serum have not yet been identified.
3. The composition of the fetal bovine serum can alter with the phenotypic and genotypic stability of the cell culture, affecting the final results.
4. Whey can suppress cell development which can affect cell growth, especially when it comes to organ growth and growth.
References
- A.D.A.M., I. (1 of 12, 2009). New York Times Health Guide. Retrieved from the New York Times Health Guide.
- Acharya, A. (5 of 5, 2015). Microbe Online. Obtained from Complement Fixation Test: Principle, Procedure and Results.
- Even, M., Sandusky, C., & Barnard, N. (2006). Serum-free hybridoma culture: ethical, scientific and safety considerations. TRENDS in Biotechnology Vol.24 No.3, 105-106.
- HAYAT, K. (3 of 7, 2012). MEDIMOONTrusted Medical Site. Retrieved from"Difference Between Plasma And Serum."
- Medical-Labs. (2014). Medical-Labs. Retrieved from"Difference Between Plasma and Serum."
- O'Connell, K. (8 of 12, 2015). Health Line. Retrieved from What is a Serology.
- Rhoades, R., & Bell, D. (2009). Chapter 9 - Blood Components. In R. Rhoades, & D. R. Bell, Medical Physiology: Principles for Clinical Medicine (page 171). Baltimore, MD: lippincott williams & wilkins.
- Wilkin, D., & Brainard, J. (2015). Blood. In D. Wilkin, & J. Brainard, Human Biology (page 109). Flexbook.