I am not quite grasping onto this concept. I'm reading "Red blood cells carry a protein called hemoglobin that actually contains the oxygen. Hemoglobin is a iron containing pigment and iron is an "enabler". Why do we need hemoglobin and why do red blood cells need them? Why can't red blood cells/erythrocytes just carry oxygen itself?
Cal King
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The cells don't carry the oxygen. The substance that carries oxygen is hemoglobin. Red blood cells are stuffed full of hemoglobin, and the human red blood cell does not even have a nucleus, so as to maximize the amount of hemoglobin that can be stuffed into the cell. Hemoglobin can carry oxygen because it contains a heme group, which is the part of the protein that actually carries oxygen and carbon dioxide. The oxygen or carbon dioxide binds with the iron in the middle of the heme group and is then later released where they are supposed to be. Without hemoglobin, the amount of oxygen that a red blood cell can carry is small and won't meet the need of the body.
reddfrog
Because the substance that carries the oxygen must also release it. Hemoglobin accepts oxygen and carries it, but also releases it easily to the cells. Without hemoglobin the RBCs wouldn't be able to carry enough oxygen to supply the body with it's needs.
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Why Do We Need Hemoglobin