Question

Sodium citrate is an anticoagulant of choice for coagulation studies because it protects certain of the _____.

a) Red blood cells
b) White blood cells
c) Platelets
d) Clotting proteins

Answer 1

Sodium citrate is an anticoagulant of choice for coagulation studies because it protects certain of the a) red blood cells.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sodium citrate is an anticoagulant of choice for coagulation studies because it protects red blood cells.

Red blood cells are crucial for oxygen transport in the body. They contain hemoglobin, which binds to oxygen and carries it to different tissues and organs.

When conducting coagulation studies, it is important to preserve the integrity of red blood cells to obtain accurate results. Sodium citrate prevents clotting and maintains the stability of red blood cells in the blood sample. Therefore the correct answer is a) Red blood cells.

Answer 2

Sodium citrate is selected as an anticoagulant in coagulation studies because it binds to calcium ions, necessary for coagulation, thereby protecting the clotting proteins that are part of the coagulation cascade. The correct answer to the question is d) Clotting proteins.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sodium citrate is an anticoagulant of choice for coagulation studies because it protects certain of the clotting proteins. To understand this, we must recognize that the blood contains various components including red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Plasma houses the coagulation factors that are crucial for the clotting process, during which soluble fibrinogen is converted into insoluble fibrin, thereby creating a clot.

Anticoagulants like sodium citrate work by chelating (binding to) calcium ions in the blood, which are necessary for coagulation. Without calcium, the enzymatic conversion of prothrombin to thrombin is inhibited, preventing the formation of thromboplastin and ultimately the creation of a fibrin clot. Therefore, sodium citrate effectively prevents blood samples from clotting by removing the calcium necessary for these processes, thus protecting the clotting proteins such as fibrinogen that are integral to the coagulation cascade.

Accordingly, the correct answer to this question is that sodium citrate protects certain of the d) Clotting proteins.