Final answer:
Factor XIII is known as fibrin-stabilizing factor and is essential in the final stages of the blood coagulation process to stabilize the fibrin clot. It is one of the clotting factors, which are numbered I through XIII, and its production is dependent on vitamin K.
Step-by-step explanation:
Factor XIII, also known as fibrin-stabilizing factor, plays a critical role in the coagulation process, which is part of hemostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel. In the common pathway of blood coagulation, once factor X has been activated either by the intrinsic or extrinsic pathway, thrombin is generated which then converts fibrinogen into fibrin. Factor XIII is then activated by thrombin, and it acts to stabilize the fibrin clot by cross-linking fibrin strands, thereby providing strength and stability to the newly formed clot.
Coagulation factors, including Factor XIII, are essential for proper blood clot formation and are dependent on substances such as calcium ions (factor IV) and vitamin K. The clotting factors are numbered I through XIII according to their discovery, with factor VI remaining as a historical placeholder and reminder that knowledge evolves over time. Clotting factors are primarily secreted by the liver and platelets, with the liver requiring vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin that can be consumed through diet and is also synthesized by bacteria in the large intestine, for the production of many of these factors.
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