Blood Clotting
- Blood clotting, also known as coagulation, is a vital process that occurs in response to injury or trauma to prevent excessive loss of blood from the body.
- When a person sustains a cut or injury, blood begins to clot, forming a dark reddish-brown scum known as a clot or coagulum at the site of the wound.
- The clot mainly consists of a network of threads called fibrins, in which dead and damaged formed elements of blood are trapped.
- Fibrins are formed by the conversion of inactive fibrinogens in the plasma by the enzyme thrombin.
- Thrombin is formed from another inactive substance present in the plasma called prothrombin.
- An enzyme complex called thrombokinase is required for the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin.
- Thrombokinase is formed by a series of linked enzymatic reactions involving inactive factors present in the plasma.
- Platelets in the blood release certain factors when stimulated by injury or trauma, activating the mechanism of coagulation.
- Factors released by tissues at the site of injury can also initiate coagulation.
- Calcium ions play a crucial role in the clotting process, acting as cofactors for various enzymatic reactions involved in coagulation.
- The process of blood clotting involves a cascade of enzymatic reactions, where each reaction triggers the next in a sequential manner.
- This cascade process ensures rapid and efficient formation of blood clots in response to injury.