Questions and Answers
What is the major function of red blood cells?
Transporting hemoglobin to carry oxygen
What happens when hemoglobin is free in the plasma of human beings?
About 3% of it leaks through capillary membranes into tissue spaces or glomerular filtrate
Besides transporting hemoglobin, what other function do red blood cells perform?
Contain a large quantity of carbonic anhydrase for CO2 transport
What makes it possible for the blood to transport enormous quantities of CO2 from the tissues to the lungs?
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What is responsible for most of the acid-base buffering power of whole blood?
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What is the enzyme present in red blood cells that catalyzes the reversible reaction between carbon dioxide and water?
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In which form is carbon dioxide transported from the tissues to the lungs in the blood?
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What happens to hemoglobin when it is free in the plasma of human beings?
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What percentage of hemoglobin leaks through the capillary membrane into tissue spaces when it is free in the plasma of human beings?
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In which animals does hemoglobin circulate as free protein in the plasma, not enclosed in red blood cells?
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