
Myoglobin is a protein found in the cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues of vertebrates and almost all mammals. It is an oxygen-binding protein that captures oxygen that muscle cells use for energy. It is responsible for the red colour of muscle in most vertebrates. Myoglobin is a sensitive indicator of cellular damage and can be detected in urine or plasma. It is also used as an oxygen storage protein in muscle.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Found in | Cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues |
| Type | Iron- and oxygen-binding protein |
| Function | Supplies oxygen to muscle |
| Other functions | Serves as a scavenger of reactive oxygen species |
| Form | Oxymyoglobin (MbO2), carboxymyoglobin (MbCO), and metmyoglobin (met-Mb) |
| Heme group | Identical to those in Hb |
| Affinity for oxygen | Higher than hemoglobin |
| Oxygen-storage capacities | Lower than hemoglobin |
| Facilitates | Oxygen diffusion down a gradient |
| Contains | Heme pigments responsible for the color of red meat |
| Found in highest concentration | Striated muscles of vertebrates |
| Sensitive indicator | Cellular damage when detected in urine or plasma |
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What You'll Learn

Myoglobin is an oxygen-binding protein
Myoglobin is an iron-containing heme protein that is found predominantly in the sarcoplasm of skeletal and cardiac muscles. It is encoded by the MB gene in humans. Myoglobin is composed of non-polar amino acids at its core, where the heme group is non-covalently bound with the surrounding polypeptide. The heme group, which contains iron, imparts a red-brown colour to the protein.
The primary function of myoglobin is to supply oxygen to the muscle. It does this by releasing oxygen to the mitochondria that make up the respiratory chain, helping the myocytes to meet their high energy demands. Myoglobin also serves as a buffer of intracellular oxygen concentrations. It can bind and release oxygen depending on the oxygen concentration in the cell. This makes it very efficient at extracting oxygen from the blood.
The presence of myoglobin in muscle allows organisms to hold their breath for longer periods. Diving mammals such as whales and seals have particularly high abundances of myoglobin in their muscles, allowing them to remain submerged for extended durations.
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It's found in muscle cells of vertebrates
Myoglobin is a protein located primarily in the striated muscles of vertebrates. It is found in the muscle cells of vertebrates, specifically in the cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues. It is encoded by the MB gene in humans. Myoglobin is a monomer and binds oxygen more effectively at low Po2. It is a sensitive indicator of cellular damage when detected in urine or plasma.
Myoglobin is an iron- and oxygen-binding protein. It is composed of non-polar amino acids at its core, where the heme group is non-covalently bound to the surrounding polypeptide. The heme prosthetic group can reversibly bind to oxygen. The body uses it as an oxygen storage protein in muscle. It binds and releases oxygen depending on the oxygen concentration in the cell. Its primary function is to supply oxygen to myocytes.
Myoglobin is found in high concentrations in the striated muscles of vertebrates, including skeletal and cardiac muscle. It is also present in much lower concentrations in smooth muscle and endothelial tumour cells. It is responsible for the red colour of the muscle of most vertebrates. Myoglobin is one of the members of the globin superfamily, which also includes haemoglobin.
Myoglobin is released from damaged muscle tissue, which contains very high concentrations of myoglobin. It is a useful biomarker in the early phases of muscle injury. It is rapidly released after muscle damage and can be detected in the blood and urine. High concentrations of myoglobin in muscle cells allow organisms to hold their breath for longer periods of time.
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It's a marker for muscle damage
Myoglobin is an iron- and oxygen-binding protein found in the cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue of vertebrates and almost all mammals. It is encoded by the MB gene in humans. Myoglobin is located primarily in the striated muscles of vertebrates, including skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle.
Myoglobin is a sensitive marker for muscle injury. It is released from damaged muscle tissue, which contains very high concentrations of myoglobin. The released myoglobin then enters the bloodstream, where high levels may indicate rhabdomyolysis. Myoglobin in the blood is a potential marker for heart attacks in patients with chest pain.
Myoglobin levels in the blood can be used to help diagnose conditions caused by muscle damage. When there is severe muscle damage or a heart attack, myoglobin is released into the blood. Myoglobin levels in the blood increase 2 to 3 hours after the first symptoms of muscle damage and usually peak about 8 to 12 hours later.
Myoglobin is filtered by the kidneys and then passed out of the body in urine. However, high levels of myoglobin can overwhelm the kidneys, leading to acute kidney injury and, in some cases, kidney failure. Therefore, a urine test for myoglobin can be used to help diagnose severe muscle injury and protect kidney health.
Myoglobin is one of the most useful serum markers of muscle injury, along with creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, aldolase, troponin, aspartate aminotransferase, and carbonic anhydrase CAIII.
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It's related to haemoglobin
Myoglobin is a protein located primarily in the striated muscles of vertebrates. It is an iron- and oxygen-binding protein found in the cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue of vertebrates in general and in almost all mammals. It is encoded by the MB gene in humans.
Myoglobin is structurally and functionally similar to haemoglobin. Both proteins contain a molecular constituent called heme, which enables them to combine reversibly with oxygen. The heme group, which contains iron, imparts a red-brown colour to the proteins. However, the bond between oxygen and haemoglobin is more complex than that between oxygen and myoglobin. Haemoglobin can both transport and store oxygen, while myoglobin's primary function is to store and supply oxygen to muscles.
Myoglobin has a higher affinity for oxygen than haemoglobin. It can acquire oxygen from haemoglobin, thereby transferring it from the blood to the muscle tissues. Myoglobin also has a higher oxygen saturation curve than haemoglobin due to its non-cooperative binding with oxygen.
The presence of myoglobin in the urine or plasma is a sensitive indicator of cellular damage. Myoglobin is released from damaged muscle tissue and enters the bloodstream. It is then filtered by the kidneys and released into the urine. High levels of myoglobin in the blood may indicate rhabdomyolysis, while its presence in the urine reflects the degree of muscle injury.
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It's responsible for the red colour of meat
Myoglobin is a protein located primarily in the striated muscles of vertebrates. It is an iron- and oxygen-binding protein found in the cardiac and skeletal muscles of vertebrates and almost all mammals. Myoglobin contains a heme prosthetic group, which includes a porphyrin ring iron ion. The heme group, which contains iron, imparts a red-brown colour to the protein.
The colour that meat takes is partly determined by the degree of oxidation of the myoglobin. Meat that has been cooked well done is brown because the iron atom is in the ferric (+3) oxidation state, having lost an electron. If the meat has been exposed to nitrites, it will remain pink because the iron atom is bound to nitric oxide. Grilled meats can also take on a reddish-pink "smoke ring" that comes from the heme centre binding to carbon monoxide. Raw meat packed in a carbon monoxide atmosphere also shows this same pink "smoke ring" due to the same principles.
The presence of myoglobin in meat is also indicative of its freshness. The surface of raw meat displays a pink colour, which is usually associated with fresh meat in consumers' minds. This artificially induced pink colour can persist for up to a year.
Myoglobin is also used as a marker for muscle damage. When heart or skeletal muscle is injured, myoglobin is released into the blood. Blood levels of myoglobin can rise very quickly with severe muscle damage and can be measured within a few hours following an injury. Myoglobin is filtered from the blood by the kidneys and is released into the urine.
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Frequently asked questions
Myoglobin is a protein that provides oxygen to muscles, allowing them to maintain a high level of activity for a longer period. It is found in the cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues of vertebrates and mammals.
High levels of myoglobin in the body can be an indicator of muscle damage or injury. When muscles are damaged, myoglobin is released into the bloodstream and can be detected in urine or plasma. While myoglobin itself is not toxic, it contains a protoxin that can cause acute kidney injury if not filtered by the kidneys properly.
Myoglobin can exist in three forms: oxymyoglobin (MbO2), carboxymyoglobin (MbCO), and metmyoglobin (met-Mb). These forms are analogous to the forms of hemoglobin, which include oxyhemoglobin (HbO2), carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO), and methemoglobin (met-Hb).








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