Question
What is the difference between plasma and serum? Serum comes from anticoagulated blood and plasma does not Serum is from clotted blood, plasma has been anticoagulated Serum contains fibrinogen, and plasma does not Serum is what flows inside the body
Solution
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(292 Votes)
Declan
Veteran ยท Tutor for 10 years
Answer
The key difference between plasma and serum lies in the presence or absence of clotting factors:* **Serum is the liquid part of blood that remains *after* the blood has clotted.** During clotting, fibrinogen, a soluble protein, is converted into insoluble fibrin, which forms the clot. Serum, therefore, does *not* contain fibrinogen.* **Plasma is the liquid part of blood that remains when clotting is *prevented* with an anticoagulant.** Because clotting doesn't occur, plasma *contains* fibrinogen.So, the correct answer is: **Serum is from clotted blood, plasma has been anticoagulated.**