Serous fluid major salivary glands produce mixed (serous and mucus) saliva. Another type of serous fluid is secreted by the serous membranes (serosa), two-layered membranes which line the body cavities. Serous membrane fluid collects on microvilli on the outer layer and acts as a lubricant and reduces friction from muscle movement. This can be seen in the lungs, with the pleural cavity. Blood serum is the component of blood that is neither a blood cell, nor a clotting factor. Blood serum and blood plasma are similar, but serum does not contain any clotting factors, such as fibrinogen, prothrombin, thromboplastin and many others.
Mucus Mucus Mucus ( ) is a polymer. It is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both serous and mucous cells. It is a viscous colloid containing inorganic salts, antiseptic enzymes (such as lysozymes), immunoglobulins, and glycoproteins such as lactoferrin and mucins, which are produced by goblet cells in the mucous membranes and submucosal glands. Mucus serves to protect epithelial cells (that line the tubes) in the respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital, visual, and auditory systems; the epidermis in