(Hb) Haemoglobin is the major endogenous oxygen-binding
molecule, responsible for binding oxygen in the lung and transporting it to the tissues by means of the circulation. Haemoglobin is contained in very high concentration in the red blood cells.
Haemoglobin is an Fe
chelate tightly binding one Fe ion in its II oxidation state where it carries the charge 2+ (ferrous iron).
If an oxygen
molecule is bound to Hb, Hb is called oxyhaemoglobin, if no oxygen
molecule is bound it is called deoxyhaemoglobin.
When haemoglobin is oxidized (i.e. in a haematoma), Fe2+ is transformed into Fe3+.
The resulting haemoglobin is then called metoxyhaemoglobin (Hb Fe3+).
Deoxyhaemoglobin and metoxyhaemoglobin act as
paramagnetic contrast agents in MR, while oxyhaemoglobin is diamagnetic. This partly explains the special appearance of an aging haematoma in
MR imaging and is also the basic of the
blood oxygenation level dependent contrast (
BOLD) used in
functional magnetic resonance imaging of the
brain (
fMRI).