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plasma
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Blood plasma 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.
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.
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.
Understanding the human cardiovascular system
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plasma summary
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plasma: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • David H. Yawn
    Professor of pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: Medicine LibreTexts - Plasma and the Cellular Elements of Blood. Oct 16, 2026
Add new Web site: BMC - Chinese Neurosurgical Journal - Plasma medicine for neuroscience—an introduction. Jul 25, 2025
Add new Web site: CiteSeerX - Plasma Treatment of Biomedical Materials (PDF). Mar 21, 2025
Add new Web site: CiteSeerX - Plasma Treatment of Biomedical Materials (PDF). Mar 21, 2025
Add new Web site: The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta - Plasma Proteins. Nov 29, 2024
Add new Web site: University of Florida - Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering - Plasma and Biology. Jul 26, 2024
Media added. Mar 12, 2024
Add new Web site: Verywell Health - What Is Plasma�s Role in the Body? Mar 01, 2024
Media added. Feb 26, 2024
Add new Web site: WebMD - What Are the Different Types of Emotions? Nov 10, 2023
Add new Web site: Healthline - What is Plasma and Why is it Important? Sep 29, 2023
Add new Web site: The Spruce - How to grow and care for Plumeria Flowers. Aug 18, 2023
Add new Web site: Stanford Blood Center - The Many Uses of Plasma. Jul 13, 2023
Add new Web site: Medicine LibreTexts - Plasma and the Cellular Elements of Blood. May 08, 2023
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Plasma medicine for neuroscience—an introduction. Feb 25, 2023
Add new Web site: Cleveland Clinic - Plasma. Jan 12, 2023
New media added. Jun 01, 2020
Media added. Nov 29, 2017
Cross-references added. Nov 29, 2017
Add new Web site: University of Rochester Medical Center - Health Encyclopedia - What Is Plasma? Apr 20, 2016
Add new Web site: National Health Service Choices - Plasma Components. Apr 18, 2016
Article thoroughly revised. Feb 09, 2007
Added new Web site: Lifeblood. May 31, 2006
Added new Web site: Lifeblood. May 31, 2006
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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