plasma: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As	blood plasma

Photos and Videos

Illustration of a blood vessel with a cutaway view showing red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma, each labeled to highlight the main components of blood.

Examples of extracellular fluids include lymph and plasma.

Detailed diagram showing the transport of lipoproteins in the human body, illustrating how dietary fats and cholesterol are absorbed in the small intestine, packaged into chylomicrons, and transported through lymphatic vessels and the bloodstream. The diagram traces the conversion of chylomicrons to VLDL, IDL, LDL, and HDL particles, highlighting their roles in fat and cholesterol delivery, storage, and recycling, with labeled pathways to the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue, and includes cellu

Line graph showing plasma concentration of a drug over 20 hours after oral administration, with a rapid rise during absorption, a peak, and gradual decline during elimination.

Using fidget spinners in diagnostic blood tests

Gloved hands hold a blood sample tube above a rack of vials in a laboratory, illustrating blood analysis in human body science.

Close-up of a medical blood bag filled with red blood, showing attached tubes and connectors against a blurred background.

Understanding the human cardiovascular system

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Topics

antithrombin chylomicron complement serum albumin transferrin serum C3b C3 haptoglobin complement-fixation test intracellular fluid extracellular fluid blood group bacteremia

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Key People

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Edwin Joseph Cohn

American biochemist