Q. How can the blood coagulation (clotting) process be described?
Blood clotting encompasses a sequence of chemical reactions whose respective products are enzymes that catalyze the following reactions that is why the clotting reactions are called as cascade reactions. In the plasma thromboplastinogen transforms into thromboplastin, a reaction triggered by platelet and tissue factors liberated after injury of the blood vessel, Thromboplastin then catalyze with calcium ions the transformation of prothrombin into thrombin, Thrombin then catalyzes a reaction that produces fibrin from fibrinogen, Fibrin as an insoluble substance precipitates to form a network that traps red blood cells and platelets forming the blood clot and containing the hemorrhage.