# Plasma --- **Plasma** is the [[body fluids|fluid]] found in the [[blood]] and [[lymphatic system]]. It's mostly just water, protein and salts, but it makes up about 55% of the blood. It is also what transports nutrients, hormones, blood gasses wastes and drugs. ![[blood.png]] ## Plasma Proteins **Plasma proteins** are proteins found in the plasma. There are three main classes, [[albumin]] which is the smallest and the most abundant; [[globulin]] which serve a variety of purposes, including as [[antibodies|"immunoglobulins"]], and [[fibrin|fibrinogen]] which is the least abundant but the largest, and plays a crucial role in blood clotting. If you're really starving, and the body doesn't have any carbs or fats or proteins from places like your muscles, it will actually start to metabolize the **plasma proteins** in the blood. Plasma proteins do things like: - maintains [[osmosis|osmotic pressure]] - They play a big role in this, especially albumin - affects [[pharmacokinetics]] - specifically albumin does this - if you don't have enough you will not be able to transport the drug around the body ### Total Protein **Total protein** is a [[labs]] that tells you your general concentration of [[plasma|plasma proteins]] that you have in your blood. It doesn't break down how much of each type of protein, but it's still useful. **Low total protein** may indicate: - The biggest condition total protein tests for is malnutrition, especially [[malnutrition#Protein-Energy Malnutrition|protein malnutrition]] - for example, [[eating disorders|anorexia]] - kidney damage - If the kidneys are damaged, you can loose a lot of proteins in the urine. - cancer - liver damage - I think this is because the liver makes the pre-albumin ___