
The extracellular fluid, in turn, is composed of blood plasma, interstitial fluid, lymph and transcellular fluid (e.g. cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, aqueous
Water
Water is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's streams, lakes, and oceans, and the fluids of most living organisms. It is vital for all known forms of life, even though it provides no calories or organic nutrients. Its che…
What are the three types of extracellular fluid?
The extracellular fluids may be divided into three types: interstitial fluid in the "interstitial compartment" (surrounding tissue cells and bathing them in a solution of nutrients and other chemicals), blood plasma and lymph in the "intravascular compartment" (inside the blood vessels and lymphatic vessels), and small.
What are the components of extracellular fluid?
What is Extracellular Fluid
- Tissue Fluid. The tissue fluid is the fluid which bathes the cells in the body of multicellular organisms. The tissue fluid is also called interstitial fluid.
- Blood Plasma. The plasma is the liquid found in the blood. ...
- Transcellular Fluid. Transcellular fluid is the total body water found within the epithelial-lined spaces. ...
What are some of the substances found in extracellular fluid?
Main cations:
- Sodium (Na +) 136–146 mM
- Potassium (K +) 3.8–5.0 mM
- Calcium (Ca 2+) 1.0–1.4 mM
What fluid is found in the intracellular fluid?
Intracellular fluids present inside the cell. Intracellular fluids contain 2/3 part of the total body water. Intracellular fluids contain high levels of potassium, magnesium, and phosphate ions.

What is the extracellular fluid composed of?
Extracellular fluid (ECF) or extracellular fluid volume (ECFV) usually denotes all body fluid outside of cells, and consists of plasma, interstitial, and transcellular fluid.
Where does extracellular fluid come from?
It is found in blood, in lymph, in body cavities lined with serous (moisture-exuding) membrane, in the cavities and channels of the brain and spinal cord, and in muscular and other body tissues.
What are the three types of extracellular fluids?
Extracellular fluids are the body fluids that are not contained in the cells. They are found in the blood, lymph, etc. There are three types of extracellular fluids: Interstitial compartment, Intravascular compartment and Transcellular compartment.
What is extracellular fluid also called?
The extracellular fluid (or interstitial fluid) bathing the cells of the brain and spinal cord is cerebrospinal fluid, which contains the same chemical ions and a much higher concentration of water than the intracellular fluid.
Why is lymph called extracellular fluid?
Lymph does not travel inside the cells but travels free of the cells. It lies outside the cells; hence it is called extracellular fluid.
What is extracellular fluid and why is it so important?
Extracellular fluid that travels in the circulatory system is blood plasma, the liquid component of blood. As the oxygen and nutrients from blood are transferred out of the blood in the capillaries, these molecules make their way to another extracellular fluid that surrounds individual cells within the body.
What is the difference between intracellular fluid and extracellular fluid?
The intracellular fluid is the fluid contained within cells. The extracellular fluid—the fluid outside the cells—is divided into that found within the blood and that found outside the blood; the latter fluid is known as the interstitial fluid.
How much extracellular fluid is in the human body?
The extracellular fluid comprises approximately 20% of total body weight and further subcategorizes as plasma at approximately 5% of body weight and interstitial space which is approximately 12% of body weight.
Where is extracellular fluid in the cell?
Extracellular fluid refers to the fluid that is found outside of the cell. Extracellular fluid is found in blood plasma and in the interstitial space between cells.
How much of the extracellular fluid comes from blood plasma?
Extracellular fluid (ECF): It forms about 14 L (about 20% of total body weight), of which 15% is interstitial fluid and 5% is plasma.
What are the 6 components of extracellular fluid?
The extracellular fluid, in turn, is composed of blood plasma, interstitial fluid, lymph and transcellular fluid (e.g. cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, aqueous humour, serous fluid, gut fluid, etc.). The interstitial fluid and the blood plasma are the major components of the extracellular fluid.
Is extracellular fluid found in blood vessels?
Extracellular fluid is the fluid outside of cells. It is in the interstitial space, in the blood vessels and lymph vessels.
What is extracellular fluid?
Extracellular fluid is the term for the many fluids that exist in an organism outside of cells of the organism, but sealed within the body cavities and vessels. Extracellular fluid that travels in the circulatory system is blood plasma, the liquid component of blood. As the oxygen and nutrients from blood are transferred out of the blood in the capillaries, these molecules make their way to another extracellular fluid that surrounds individual cells within the body. This is known as interstitial fluid, and surrounds most of the cells in the body. This extracellular fluid allows cells to carry out processes using the nutrients and oxygen provided, and to carry wastes back to the blood. The final extracellular fluid is transcellular fluid, which exists in many of the spaces in which the fluid is meant as structural support, not for the exchange of molecules. These extracellular fluids can be found in the eye, joints, and cerebrospinal fluid.
Where are extracellular fluids found?
These extracellular fluids can be found in the eye, joints, and cerebrospinal fluid. In term of total volume, extracellular fluid actually constitutes a much smaller portion of the total body water than intracellular fluid, which exists within each cell of a body. This can be seen in the graph above.
What is the fluid that surrounds blood cells in the blood vessels?
Interstitial Fluid – The fluid that bathes cells in the tissues of organisms. Intravascular Fluid – Also known as blood plasma, this is the fluid that surrounds blood cells in the blood vessels.
What is the final fluid in the body?
The final extracellular fluid is transcellular fluid, which exists in many of the spaces in which the fluid is meant as ...
What is the fluid that surrounds cells?
This is known as interstitial fluid, and surrounds most of the cells in the body. This extracellular fluid allows cells to carry out processes ...
What is the term for the fluid that bathes cells in the tissues of organisms?
Transcellular Fluid – Fluid that exists in spaces used that do not receive circulation, and offer support or protection. Interstitial Fluid – The fluid that bathes cells in the tissues of organisms.
How much extracellular fluid is in the body?
In all, extracellular fluid accounts for only about a third of the body’s total fluids. This is typical in humans, but the ratio may change in other organisms which have different modes of circulation.
What is the main component of extracellular fluid?
The main component of the extracellular fluid is the interstitial fluid that surrounds cells. Extracellular fluid is the internal environment of all multicellular animals, and in those animals with a blood circulatory system, a proportion of this fluid is blood plasma. Plasma and interstitial fluid are the two components ...
What is extracellular fluid?
Extracellular fluid. In cell biology, extracellular fluid ( ECF) denotes all body fluid outside the cells of any multicellular organism. Total body water in healthy adults is about 60% (range 45 to 75%) of total body weight; women and the obese typically have a lower percentage than lean men. Extracellular fluid makes up about one-third ...
What is the ECF of the lymph?
Lymph makes up a small percentage of the interstitial fluid. The remaining small portion of the ECF includes the transcellular fluid (about 2.5%). The ECF can also be seen as having two components – plasma and lymph as a delivery system, and interstitial fluid for water and solute exchange with the cells. The extracellular fluid, in particular the ...
How many litres of ECF are plasma?
Eleven litres of the ECF is interstitial fluid and the remaining three litres is plasma. Plasma and interstitial fluid are very similar because water, ions, and small solutes are continuously exchanged between them across the walls of capillaries, through pores and capillary clefts .
How much extracellular fluid is in a 70 kg male?
The volume of body fluid, blood glucose, oxygen, and carbon dioxide levels are also tightly homeostatically maintained. The volume of extracellular fluid in a young adult male of 70 kg (154 lbs) is 20% of body weight – about fourteen litres. Eleven litres is interstitial fluid and the remaining three litres is plasma.
What is the ECF?
The extracellular fluid, in particular the interstitial fluid, constitutes the body's internal environment that bathes all of the cells in the body. The ECF composition is therefore crucial for their normal functions, and is maintained by a number of homeostatic mechanisms involving negative feedback.
Why does the capillary fluid dominate the equilibrium concentration?
Since the capillary fluid is constantly and rapidly renewed by the flow of the blood, its composition dominates the equilibrium concentration that is achieved in the capillary bed. This ensures that the watery environment of the body's cells is always close to their ideal environment (set by the body's homeostats ).
What is the molecule that is found in the extracellular matrix?
This leads us to another category of molecule found within the extracellular matrix called the proteoglycan . The proteoglycan is a hybrid cross of a protein and a sugar, with a protein core and several long chain sugar groups surrounding it.
What is extracellular matrix?
The extracellular matrix can be thought of as a suspension of macromolecules that supports everything from local tissue growth to the maintenance of an entire organ. These molecules are all secretions made by neighboring cells. Upon being secreted, the proteins will undergo scaffolding.
How does extracellular matrix help with healing?
More direct applications of the extracellular matrix include its role in supporting growth and wound healing. For instance, bone growth relies on the extracellular matrix since it contains the minerals needed to harden the bone tissue. Bone tissue will need to become opaque and inflexible. The extracellular matrix will allow this by letting these growth processes take ample opportunity to recruit extracellular proteins and minerals to build and fortify the growing skeleton. Likewise, forming scar tissue after an injury will benefit from the extracellular matrix and its rich meshwork of water insoluble proteins.
How does the extracellular matrix affect the morphology of a tissue?
The extracellular matrix directs the morphology of a tissue by interacting with cell -surface receptors and by binding to the surrounding growth factors that then incite signaling pathways. In fact, the extracellular matrix actually stores some cellular growth factors, which are then released locally based on the physiological needs ...
How are cells spaced out in tissue?
Instead, they are spaced out with the help of the extracellular meshwork. The matrix will act as a kind of filler that lies between the otherwise tightly packed cells in a tissue.
Which protein is the main component of the extracellular matrix?
The main fibrous proteins that build the extracellular matrix are collagens, elastins, and laminins. These are all relatively sturdy protein macromolecules. Their sturdiness lends the extracellular matrix its buffering and force-resisting properties that can withstand environmental pressures without collapsing.
What is collagen made of?
Collagen is the most abundant fibrous protein made by fibroblasts, making up roughly one third of the total protein mass in animals.

Overview
In cell biology, extracellular fluid (ECF) denotes all body fluid outside the cells of any multicellular organism. Total body water in healthy adults is about 60% (range 45 to 75%) of total body weight; women and the obese typically have a lower percentage than lean men. Extracellular fluid makes up about one-third of body fluid, the remaining two-thirds is intracellular fluid within cells. The main component of the extracellular fluid is the interstitial fluid that surrounds cells.
Components
The main component of the extracellular fluid (ECF) is the interstitial fluid, or tissue fluid, which surrounds the cells in the body. The other major component of the ECF is the intravascular fluid of the circulatory system called blood plasma. The remaining small percentage of ECF includes the transcellular fluid. These constituents are often called fluid compartments. The volume of extracellular fluid in a young adult male of 70 kg, is 20% of body weight – about fourteen litres.
Function
The extracellular fluid provides the medium for the exchange of substances between the ECF and the cells, and this can take place through dissolving, mixing and transporting in the fluid medium. Substances in the ECF include dissolved gases, nutrients, and electrolytes, all needed to maintain life. The ECF also contains materials secreted from cells in soluble form, but which quickly coalesces into fibres (e.g. collagen, reticular, and elastic fibres) or precipitates out into a solid or …
Oxygenation
One of the main roles of extracellular fluid is to facilitate the exchange of molecular oxygen from blood to tissue cells and for carbon dioxide, CO2, produced in cell mitochondria, back to the blood. Since carbon dioxide is about 20 times more soluble in water than oxygen, it can relatively easily diffuse in the aqueous fluid between cells and blood.
However, hydrophobic molecular oxygen has very poor water solubility and prefers hydrophobic …
Regulation
The internal environment is stabilised in the process of homeostasis. Complex homeostatic mechanisms operate to regulate and keep the composition of the ECF stable. Individual cells can also regulate their internal composition by various mechanisms.
There is a significant difference between the concentrations of sodium and potassium ions inside and outside the cell. The concentration of sodium ions is considerably higher in the extracellula…
Interaction between the blood plasma, interstitial fluid and lymph
The arterial blood plasma, interstitial fluid and lymph interact at the level of the blood capillaries. The capillaries are permeable and water can move freely in and out. At the arteriolar end of the capillary the blood pressure is greater than the hydrostatic pressure in the tissues. Water will therefore seep out of the capillary into the interstitial fluid. The pores through which this water moves are large enough to allow all the smaller molecules (up to the size of small proteins such …
Electrolytic constituents
Main cations:
• Sodium (Na ) 136–146 mM
• Potassium (K ) 3.8–5.0 mM
• Calcium (Ca ) 1.0–1.4 mM
Main anions:
See also
• Effective circulating volume (ECV)
• Fluid compartments