Glossary of Medical and Health Terms

Haemoglobin

Haemoglobin, also spelled hemoglobin and abbreviated Hb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of the blood in vertebrates and other animals. In mammals the protein makes up about 97% of the red cell’s dry content, and around 35% of the total content (including water).

Haemoglobin transports oxygen from the lungs or gills to the rest of the body, such as to the muscles, where it releases its load of oxygen. Haemoglobin also has a variety of other gas-transport and effect-modulation duties, which vary from species to species, and may be quite diverse in invertebrates.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemoglobin

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