PLASMA

Plasma is the straw-colored liquid portion of the blood.  More than 90 percent water, the plasma also contains a complex mixture of proteins (7 percent), inorganic salts, lipids, enzymes, hormones, vitamins, glucose, and waste products from the cells (1 percent).  Plasma carries by-products and waste material from one tissue to another.

The most prevalent plasma protein is albumin, a relatively small molecule that help control the blood volume by regulating the flow of water in and out of the cells in the blood and in the walls of the blood vessels.  Other plasma proteins are concerned with transporting specific substances such as lipids (fat), iron, and vitamin B12; with blood clotting; and with immunity (antibodies).
 

Click on each blood type to learn more:
Red Cells
White Cells
Platelets
Plasma