Erythrocyte fructose 2,6-bisphosphate content in congenital hemolytic anemias

Red blood cells  (RBCs) transport oxygen to all body tissues. These cells survive only for 120 days and then need to be replenished. Erythropoiesis is the process of RBC production. In healthy individuals, erythropoiesis ensures all tissues are amply supplied with oxygen. In addition, blood loss due to injury leads to a drop in the physiological oxygen level that will cause erythropoiesis. Any defect in erythropoiesis leads to several physiological disorders, including thalassemia, anemia, and...

Hemoglobin is a globular protein made up of four subunits. Two of these subunits are alpha chains, and the other two are beta chains. Each subunit contains a molecule of heme, which has an iron atom and can bind to oxygen. When an oxygen molecule binds to one heme group, it changes the shape of hemoglobin, making it easier for the other heme groups to bind oxygen as well.
When all four heme groups are bound to oxygen, the resulting molecule is called oxyhemoglobin. As a result, arterial blood...

Erythrocytes, also known as red blood cells, constantly move through blood capillaries. As a result, they damage their plasma membrane due to the continuous friction. Typically, after 100 to 120 days, erythrocytes become rigid and fragile as they wear out. As they pass through small vessels in the spleen and liver, they can get trapped and break apart into fragments.
The resident phagocytic macrophages deal with these damaged cells by engulfing them and separating their globin and heme groups.

Disorders of erythrocytes, or red blood cells (RBCs), include a range of conditions affecting their number, shape, or function.
Erythrocyte disorders can be broadly categorized into two main types: anemic and polycythemic conditions.
A low oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood due to the loss, lower production, or destruction of erythrocytes is termed anemia. Hemorrhagic anemia, for example, occurs when bleeding from an external wound or internal ulcer reduces erythrocyte counts.
On the other...

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a protein metabolism disorder characterized by high blood levels of the amino acid phenylalanine. This results from a mutation in the gene responsible for phenylalanine hydroxylase, an enzyme that converts phenylalanine into tyrosine. When this enzyme is deficient, phenylalanine builds up in the blood, leading to symptoms such as vomiting, rashes, seizures, growth deficiency, and severe mental retardation. An early diagnosis and a diet restricting phenylalanine intake...

Jaundice, or icterus, is the yellow discoloration of the skin, sclerae, and mucous membranes. It happens when plasma bilirubin levels rise above 2.5-3 mg/dL, leading to bilirubin deposition in tissue.Bilirubin is a byproduct of hemoglobin degradation. In macrophages, hemoglobin breaks down into globin and heme. Globin is converted into amino acids, while heme is turned into biliverdin by heme oxygenase, which is then reduced to unconjugated bilirubin by biliverdin reductase.Unconjugated...