haemoglobin

/,hi:mou'gloubin/

Thân thiện

A red blood cell contains haemoglobin to carry oxygen.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A protein in red blood cells: Haemoglobin is a complex protein found in red blood cells (erythrocytes) that contains iron. Its primary function is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and to return carbon dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs.
   • The pigment giving blood its red color: The iron-containing heme group within haemoglobin is responsible for the red color of blood.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • A blood test measures the level of haemoglobin in your blood.
  • Oxygen binds to haemoglobin in the lungs.
  • Sickle cell anemia is caused by an abnormal form of haemoglobin.

Advanced Usage

• "Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)": A form of haemoglobin that is chemically linked to sugar (glucose). Measuring it in blood provides an average of a person's blood sugar levels over the past two to three months, which is crucial for managing diabetes.
  • The doctor ordered an HbA1c test to monitor her long-term glucose control.

Variants and Related Words

• Hemoglobin (n): The American English spelling of 'haemoglobin'. The word is identical in meaning.
  • The standard spelling in U.S. medical texts is 'hemoglobin'.
• Hemoprotein (n): A general class of proteins, like haemoglobin, that contain a heme group.
• Oxyhaemoglobin (n): The bright red compound formed when haemoglobin binds with oxygen.
• Deoxyhaemoglobin (n): The darker red-purple form of haemoglobin that has released its oxygen.

Synonyms

• Hb (abbreviation): A common medical abbreviation for haemoglobin.
• Respiratory pigment: A broader term for molecules like haemoglobin that transport respiratory gases.

Related Phrases and Compounds

• Haemoglobin concentration: The amount of haemoglobin in a given volume of blood, a key metric in a complete blood count (CBC).
• Haemoglobinopathy: Any genetic disorder resulting in an abnormal structure of haemoglobin molecules (e.g., sickle cell disease, thalassemia).
• Haemoglobin saturation: The percentage of haemoglobin binding sites occupied by oxygen.

Notes on Meaning

• The primary and almost exclusive context for the word 'haemoglobin' is human and animal physiology and clinical medicine. It is a scientific/medical term.
• While the reference mentions "fish have simpler haemoglobin than mammals," this highlights a comparative biological fact but does not represent a separate everyday meaning. The core definition remains the same: an oxygen-transporting protein in red blood cells.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a hemoprotein composed of globin and heme that gives red blood cells their characteristic color; function primarily to transport oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues
   • fish have simpler hemoglobin than mammals

Từ đồng nghĩa

• hemoglobin
• Hb