Zoology - Breathing and Exchange of Gases Question with Solution | TestHub
The p50 of myoglobin is less than the p50 of adult hemoglobin, the affinity of adult hemoglobin for oxygen is
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Myoglobin has higher affinity for oxygen and hence it retards the release of the oxygen. But, hemoglobin is a more efficient oxygen carrier since its affinity for oxygen is lower and because of this it correspondingly releases the oxygen easily to the correct areas of the body. The P50 represents the partial pressure at which hemoglobin is 50 percent saturated with oxygen. and normal P50 is 27 mm Hg.
P50 provides a quantifying relation of the hemoglobin's affinity (willingness to bond) with oxygen and this is reflected in the shifts of the dissociation curve.
Right shift - hemoglobin has decreased affinity, increased P50 - takes more oxygen to reach 50% (higher partial pressure to get 50% saturated).
Left shift - increased affinity, decreased P50 - less oxygen to reach 50% (less partial pressure to get 50% saturated).
