HAEMOGLOBIN AS AN

ACID-BASE SYSTEM
Presented by: Ali Abbas Aslam
(Bsf1900252)
Hussain Naqvi (Bsf1900199)
Muhammad Mujahid (Bsf1900192)
Ans Shahzad (Bsf1900205)
 Introduction
• Haemoglobin: is a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen to your body's
organs and tissues and transports carbon dioxide from your organs and tissues back to
your lungs.
• Acid: is a molecule or ion capable of donating a proton (hydrogen ion H+)
H2SO4 H+ + HSO4–
• Base: is a chemical species that donates electrons, accepts protons, or releases
hydroxide (OH-) ions in aqueous solution.
NH3 + H+ NH4 +
 Acid Base Balance
Three types of reactions can be distinguished from point of view of the acid-base balance.
Proton-productive:
 Ureagenesis
CO2 + 2NH4 +  → Urea + H2O + 2H+
Proton-consumptive:
Gluconeogenesis
2 lactate + 2 H+ → Glucose
Proton-neutral:
Complete glucose oxidation
 Buffer
“Buffer is a solution that can resist pH change upon the addition of an acidic or basic
components.”

The body has developed three lines of defence to regulate the body's acid-base balance and
maintain the blood pH (around 7.4).

• Blood buffers

• Respiratory mechanism

• Renal mechanism
 Buffer System of Blood
• Venous blood carries more CO2 than arte­rial blood. Hence, the pH of venous blood is
more acid than that of arterial blood.
• The blood buffers consists of the plasma proteins, hemoglobin, oxy-hemoglobin,
bicarbonates and inorganic phosphates.
• The phosphates in the red cells carry 25% of the total CO2.
• The buffering action of the plasma pro­teins is important because they release
sufficient cations for the carriage of about 10% of the total CO2.
• The most important buffering role is of hemoglobin and oxy-hemoglobin which carry
60% of the CO2 of the whole blood.
 Haemoglobin Buffers
• At the lungs the formation of oxy-hemoglobin from reduced hemoglobin releases hydrogen ions which react
with bicarbonate to form carbonic acid.
•  The low CO2 tension in the lung shifts the equilib­rium towards the production of CO2 which is con­tinually
eliminated in the expired air:
H+ + HCO3  H2CO3  H2O + CO2
• In the tissues, the oxygen tension is reduced and hence oxy-hemoglobin dissociates delivering O 2 to the cells
and reduced hemoglobin is formed.
• CO2 produced by metabolism enters the blood, where it is hydrated to form H 2CO3 which ionizes to form
H+ and HCO3–.
• Reduced hemoglobin acting as an anion accepts the H + ions forming acid-reduced hemoglobin (HHb).
• Very little change in pH occurs because the newly arrived H’ ions are buffered by formation of very weak
acid.
• When the blood returns to the lungs, these H + ions are released as a result of the formation of stronger acid
(oxy-hemoglobin) and the newly re­leased H+ ion is promptly neutralized by HCO3–.
• This reaction is necessary for the liberation of CO 2 in the lungs.
Thanks