Survival at Extreme Altitude: Protective Effect of Increased Hemoglobin-Oxygen Affinity
- 22 February 1974
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 183 (4126) , 743-744
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.183.4126.743
Abstract
Decreased hemoglobin-oxygen affinity is thought to be of adaptive value to humans and nonindigenous animals at high altitude. To test this, hemoglobin-oxygen affinity was modified by carbamoylation of hemoglobin in rats. Exposure of control (low oxygen affinity) and experimental (high oxygen affinity) animals to a pressure equivalent to high altitude revealed that increased, rather than decreased, hemoglobin-oxygen affinity will permit survival at greatly reduced environmental oxygen pressures.Keywords
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