Blood plasma facts for kids
Blood plasma is the liquid part of blood. While blood looks red, plasma itself is actually a light amber or pale yellow color. It makes up about 55% of the total amount of blood inside the human body. Plasma is mostly made of water, but it also carries important nutrients and minerals that keep us healthy.
Plasma works like a river that flows through our blood vessels. It delivers necessary substances to our cells and carries away waste materials.
Contents
What Is Inside Blood Plasma?
Plasma is about 92% to 95% water. The rest consists of important dissolved substances that help our bodies function properly every single day.
- Proteins: Plasma contains special dissolved proteins that help protect the body and maintain health.
- Glucose: This is a type of sugar that provides energy to cells throughout the body.
- Electrolytes: These include minerals like Na+, calcium, and K+. They keep body fluids in balance.
- Hormones: Chemical messengers travel through plasma to send signals to different organs.
- Gases: Plasma helps move carbon dioxide away from tissues and also carries small amounts of oxygen.
Important Plasma Proteins
There are three main types of proteins floating in blood plasma:
- Albumins: These are the most common proteins in plasma. They are made by the liver and keep fluid from leaking out of blood vessels.
- Globulins: These proteins include antibodies that defend the body against sickness. They also move minerals and fats through the bloodstream.
- Fibrinogen: This protein acts as one of the essential clotting factors. When you get a scrape, it helps form a clot to stop the bleeding.
How Scientists Separate Plasma
Doctors can separate plasma from whole blood using a method called blood fractionation. Whole blood is placed in a tube with an anticoagulant so it does not turn solid. Next, the tube spins very fast inside a centrifuge. Because they are heavier, the blood cells sink straight to the bottom. The clear, yellow plasma stays on top and can be drawn off easily. If all clotting factors are removed from plasma, the remaining clear liquid is known as blood serum.
The History of Plasma Transfusions
Doctor Charles Drew made major breakthroughs in processing and storing plasma during the early 1940s. He organized the "Plasma for Britain" project to help injured people during World War II. Dried plasma was packed into cans with bottles of distilled water. Medics quickly mixed the powder with water to perform a life-saving blood transfusion.
Today, fresh frozen plasma is kept ready in hospitals and trauma centers worldwide. It remains on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines because it saves many lives every day.
Images for kids
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Mass concentration of plasma constituents
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Molarity of plasma constituents
See also
In Spanish: Plasma (sangre) para niños
