Plasma proteins

Blood proteins, also termed plasma proteins, are proteins present in blood plasma. They serve
many different functions, including transport of lipids, hormones, vitamins and minerals in
activity and functioning of the immune system. Other blood proteins act as enzymes,
complement components, protease inhibitors or kinin precursors. Contrary to popular belief,
haemoglobin is not a blood protein, as it is carried within red blood cells, rather than in the
blood serum. Serum albumin accounts for 55% of blood proteins, is a major contributor to
maintaining the oncotic pressure of plasma and assists, as a carrier, in the transport of lipids
and steroid hormones. Globulins make up 38% of blood proteins and transport ions,
hormones, and lipids assisting in immune function. Fibrinogen comprises 7% of blood
proteins; conversion of fibrinogen to insoluble fibrin is essential for blood clotting. The
remainder of the plasma proteins (1%) are regulatory proteins, such as enzymes, proenzymes,
and hormones. All blood proteins are synthesized in liver except for the gamma globulins.
Separating serum proteins by electrophoresis is a valuable diagnostic tool as well as a way to
monitor clinical progress. Current research regarding blood plasma proteins is centered on
performing proteomics analyses of serum/plasma in the search for biomarkers

Clinical significance of plasma proteins

Abnormal Protein Concentration

● The liver synthesizes of albumin, fibrinogen, prothrombin and most of the globulins
particularly alpha and beta globulins.

 The gamma globulins are synthesized in the lymphoid organs.

 The normal range of total protein levels in most of the animals ranges between 5 and 8 g/dL.

 Edema develops when the total protein concentration in plasma falls below 5g/dL.

Hypoproteinemia: (decreased protein concentration)

 Hypoalbuminemia with hypoglobulinemia: It may be due to decreased concentrations of

albumin, globulin or both.

 Blood loss
 Due to proportional loss of all blood constituents, interstitial fluid moves into the circulatory
system and dilutes the remaining blood causing a decrease in the level of albumin and
globulin.

 Protein losing entropy

 During a variety of intestinal lesions both albumin and globulin leak from the intestinal wall
into the intestinal lumen and then are digested or excreted.

 Severe exudative skin disease

 This results from vascular permeability that allows both albumin and globulin to escape from
the blood.

 Severe burns: These cause increased vascular permeability that can result in loss of both
albumin and globulin.

 Effusive disease: This results in the accumulation of body cavity fluids with high protein
concentrations that can result in decreased albumin and globulin concentrations.

 The decrease depends on the degree of increased vascular permeability.

 Hypoalbuminemia with normal to increased globulin concentrations.

 The deceased albumin concentration can result from either decreased production or
increased loss of albumin.

 If the concentration of globulin is increased the total protein level may be normal.

 Decreased production of Albumin can occur in the following disorders:

 Hepatic Failure

 Starvation

 Gastrointestinal Parasitism

 Malabsorption

 Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI)

  Inadequate digestion of dietary proteins can result from EPI, in which amino acids are not
liberated from the protein by digestion in the intestine, so they are not available for
absorption.

 Decreased albumin production.

 Increased loss of proteins can occur in the following disorder

 Glomerular Diseases: Albumin are smaller than globulin, they leak more readily through
damaged glomerular membrane.

Hyperproteinemia: (Increased Protein Concentration) Hyperalbuminemia and

Hyperglobulinemia

Causes:

 Loss of water from the blood causes an increased concentrations of albumin and globulin.

 The albumin: globulin ratio is not altered because both fractions are concentrated equally.

 Hyperglobulinemia: It depends on the type of globulin that is increased: Increased gamma

globulin concentration.

 Acute inflammation is the most common cause.

 Concentrations of several proteins in the globulin fraction (e.g., Ceruloplasmin,

haptoglobin, and alpha 2 macroglobulin) are increased.

 These proteins are collectively called as acute phase proteins.

 Increased beta globulin concentrations can occur with acute inflammation, nephrotic
syndrome, liver disease and immune response.

 Concentrations of several acute phase proteins in this fraction (e.g., C-reactive proteins,
complement, and ferritin) increase during acute inflammation.

 Increased gamma globulin concentration: This fraction includes most of the

immunoglobulins.
 Increases in gamma globulin concentration are termed as gammopathies and they are
divided in to polyclonal (have broad based peak in the beta and gamma regions) and
monoglonal gammopathies (have a narrow based electrophoretic peak in the beta and
gamma regions), which suggests chronic inflammatory diseases (e.g., chronic bacterial, viral,
fungal or rickettsia disorder, parasitism (cutaneous parasites), cancer and immune mediated
diseases.

 Multiple myeloma is due to the proliferation of single clone of B lymphocytes. This clone
produces a homogenous type (monoclonal immunoglobulin) of protein called as paraprotein
or M-component. A/G ratio: A/G ratio provides a systematic approach to the interpretation
of protein values.

 Normal A/G ratio: Dehydration with water loss results in hyperproteinemia without a
change in the A/G ratio.

 Albumin and globulin fractions are increased proportionately. Excess fluid intake or fluid
therapy is a simple cause of hypoproteinemia. This is due to the dilution.

 Decreased A/G ratio: It is generally due to decreased level of albumin and increased level
of globulins. The conditions resulting in the reduced level of albumin and increased level of
globulins have been discussed earlier.

 Increased A/G ratio: Generally albumin is not produced in excess. Any increase in the level
of albumin is due to hemoconcentration as a result of dehydration.

 Decreased globulins: New born animals are physiologically hypoglobulinemic (failure of

passive transfer of cholesterol antibodies).

 When there is a failure in the formation of gamma globulins (Immunosuppression or

immunodeficiency.

HEMOPROTEINS

Hemoproteins are conjugated proteins containing heme as prothetic group. They are very
large class of metalloproteins. The most prevalent of these is the hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is
important in transporting oxygen from the environment to the cells. It is a conjugated protein
in which the heme is attached to four subunits each (2α and 2β). It consist of a colourless
protein, globin combined non covalently with ferroprotoporphyrin (heme). The heme moiety
is identical in all vertebrates, different in properties and however this is due to the different
amino acids sequences. Apart from hemoglobin, other hemo containing enzymes includes
cytochrome C oxidase, hydrolase, oxygenase, cytochrome P450 etc.

PORPHYRIN

The porphyrins are derivatives of porphin which contains four pyrrole-like ring linked by four
=CH- groups in an alternative double bond ring system. There are many possible porphyrin
derivatives, the most common and widely distributed in animals and is called protoporphyrin
IX. When combined with metal ions e.g Fe, the porphyrin formed metalloporphyrin
(Ferroprotoporphyrin or heme)

Binding of oxygen to a heme prosthetic group, which would be part of a hemoprotein .

FUNCTIONS OF PLASMA PROTEINS

 It acts as a source of protein for the tissues, whenever the need arises.
 It exerts an osmotic pressure of about 25 mm of Hg and therefore plays an important
role in maintaining a proper water balance between the tissues and blood.
 Plasma albumin is mainly responsible for this function due to its low molecular weight
and quantitative dominance over other proteins.
 During the condition of protein loss from the body as occurs in kidney diseases, an
excessive amount of water moves to the tissues producing edema.
 Plasma protein help in maintaining the pH of the body by acting ampholytes. At
normal blood pH, they act as acids and accept captions.
 Plasma protein help in transporting lipids and lipid-soluble substances in the body.
 Fatty acids and bilirubin are transported mainly by albumin, whereas cholesterol and
phospholipids are carried by the lipoproteins present in β-globulins also transport fat-
soluble vitamins (A, D, K, and E)
 In addition to lipids, plasma proteins also transport several metals and other
substances α2-Globulins transport copper (Ceruloplasmin), bound hemoglobin
(haptoglobin) and thyroxine (glycoprotein) and non-heme iron is transported by
transferrin present in β-globulin fraction.
 Calcium, Magnesium, some drugs and dyes, and several cations and anions are
transported by plasma albumin.
 Prothrombin present in α2-globulin fraction and fibrinogen, participate in the blood
clotting process.