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Fetal hemoglobin, or foetal haemoglobin (also hemoglobin F, HbF, or α 2 γ 2) is the main oxygen carrier protein in the human fetus. Hemoglobin F is found in fetal red blood cells , and is involved in transporting oxygen from the mother's bloodstream to organs and tissues in the fetus.
This enables fetal hemoglobin to absorb oxygen from adult hemoglobin in the placenta, where the oxygen pressure is lower than at the lungs. Around 6 months of age after birth, the gamma chains will gradually be replaced by beta chains. This new hemoglobin structure is known as hemoglobin A, composed of two alpha and two beta chains (2α2β). [4 ...
Fetal hemoglobin saturation curve. Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is structurally different from normal adult hemoglobin (HbA), giving HbF a higher affinity for oxygen than HbA. HbF is composed of two alpha and two gamma chains whereas HbA is composed of two alpha and two beta chains.
A variant hemoglobin, called fetal hemoglobin (HbF, α 2 γ 2), is found in the developing fetus, and binds oxygen with greater affinity than adult hemoglobin. This means that the oxygen binding curve for fetal hemoglobin is left-shifted (i.e., a higher percentage of hemoglobin has oxygen bound to it at lower oxygen tension), in comparison to ...
Fetal hemoglobin is vital in this system because it has a high affinity for oxygen. Fetal hemoglobin can be used to screen for pregnancy complications in the fetus and pregnant person. Fetal hemoglobin can also be used to treat sickle cell anemia. This hemoglobin is less likely to be affected by the disease because it has a higher affinity for ...
Anemia is a factor in fetuses with Hemoglobin Bart's disease as there is an "increased cardiac output" and hypovolemia as the tissues of the fetus require oxygen because of the gamma globulin's high affinity for oxygen. This deprives the tissues of receiving oxygen to function well. The symptoms of anemia occur within the first trimester. [11]
In pregnant women, there is a 30% increase in intracellular 2,3-BPG. This lowers the maternal hemoglobin affinity for oxygen, and therefore allows more oxygen to be offloaded to the fetus in the maternal uterine arteries. The fetus has a low sensitivity to 2,3-BPG, so its hemoglobin has a higher affinity for oxygen.
The normal hemoglobin types are Hemoglobin A (HbA), which makes up 95–98% of total hemoglobin in adults, Hemoglobin A2 (HbA2), which constitutes 2–3% of total hemoglobin in adults, and Hemoglobin F (HbF), which is the predominant hemoglobin in the fetus during pregnancy, and may persist in small amounts in adults. [1]