Abstract
The transport of oxygen from lungs to peripheral tissues is carried out by hemoglobin (Hb), the main protein component inside red blood cells. However, the modulation of its physiological performance is regulated by the intracellular content of metabolites, mainly 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG), which lower the oxygen affinity of Hb to optimal levels, so that an efficient oxygen delivery is accomplished within a narrow gradient in partial pressures of oxygen between lungs and tissues. However, intracellular levels of DPG in stored blood decay with time, which causes a gradual increase in oxygen affinity, thus imposing a limit to the lifetime of blood for practical use.
Published Version
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