How do red blood cells absorb and transport oxygen?
1 Answer
RBCs or erythrocytes contain a molecule, haemoglobin , which binds with oxygen in the lungs and transports it through the blood stream throughout the body.
Explanation:
The molecule responsible for oxygen absorption and transport is haemoglobin , a protein present in Red Blood Cells or Erythrocytes.
In the lung, at the alveoli , inhaled oxygen is bund to haemoglobinb through the thin walls of the alveoli and pulmonary capillaries which surround the alveoli. Haemogobin now becomes oxyhaemoglobin and the blood stream transports it to all the parts of the body where the oxygen is released for metabolic activities.
The RBCs with deoxygenated haemoglobin, also called deoxyhaemoglobin, are transported by the veins back to the heart from where the blood is again pumped into the lungs to continue the process.
