Chapter 34, Problem 2A

Summary Introduction

To determine:

The name of the component of blood which is involved in blood vessel repair.

Introduction:

Platelets are small, colorless cell fragments in our blood that produces clots and prevent bleeding. Platelets are made in our bone marrow, the sponge-like tissue inside our bones. Bone marrow includes stem cells that evolve into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Explanation of Solution

Platelets are blood cells that help our body form clots to stop bleeding. If we considered that one of our blood vessels gets damaged or broken, it sends out alerts to the platelets. The platelets then rush to the site of damage. They produce a plug (clot) to repair the damage. The method of spreading across the surface of a damaged blood vessel to prevent bleeding is known as adhesion. This is because whist platelets get to the site of the injury, they produce sticky tentacles that help them stick (adhere) to one another. They additionally send out chemical alerts to attract more platelets. The extra platelets pile onto the clot in a method referred to as aggregation.

Conclusion

Platelets are small but crucial cells in our blood that help our body stop bleeding. So, they can be important to surviving surgeries like- organ transplant, as well as fighting cancer, chronic diseases, and traumatic injuries. Thus, in this way they are involved in blood vessel repair.