Myoglobin - Blood Analysis

Generality

Myoglobin is an oxygen transport protein, which can be measured by simply drawing blood from a vein in the arm.

Together with troponin, myoglobin represents one of the most used markers to confirm or exclude possible heart damage.

What's this

Myoglobin is a small globular protein whose main job is to carry oxygen to the mitochondria in muscle tissue cells. As a result, it is found in large quantities in the heart and other muscles.

Its color is red, a shade given by the presence of an EME group.

Note: Hemoglobin carries oxygen to most of the body, while myoglobin traps oxygen in the muscles to allow cells to work properly. When the heart or other skeletal muscle is damaged, myoglobin is released into the blood. .

In case of heart damage, the ischemic tissue - being in a condition of oxygen scarcity - releases abnormal quantities of myoglobin to counteract the insufficiency of this element.