Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Staphylococcus aureus Growth using Human Hemoglobin as an Iron Source
Published on: February 7, 2013
Effect of BW12C on oxygen affinity of haemoglobin in sickle-cell disease
Eight subjects with sickle-cell disease in the symptom-free steady-state received a single one-hour infusion of the new anti-sickling agent BW12C on a total of eleven occasions. A dose-dependent increase in wholeblood oxygen affinity was observed, resulting from the action of BW12C in stabilising the oxy-conformation of haemoglobin and causing a left shift of the oxygen saturation curve. At the highest dose given (20 mg/kg bodyweight), up to 23% of haemoglobin was modified to a BW12C-reacted high-affinity form without evidence of tissue hypoxia. There was biochemical and rheological evidence for a transient decrease in haemolytic rate.
Eight subjects with sickle-cell disease in the symptom-free steady-state received a single one-hour infusion of the new anti-sickling agent BW12C on a total of eleven occasions. A dose-dependent increase in wholeblood oxygen affinity was observed, resulting from the action of BW12C in stabilising the oxy-conformation of haemoglobin and causing a left shift of the oxygen saturation curve. At the highest dose given (20 mg/kg bodyweight), up to 23% of haemoglobin was modified to a BW12C-reacted high-affinity form without evidence of tissue hypoxia. There was biochemical and rheological evidence for a transient decrease in haemolytic rate.
Related Concept Videos
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions
Factors Affecting Respiration
Hemoglobin
When all four heme groups are bound to oxygen, the resulting molecule is called oxyhemoglobin. As a result, arterial blood...
Factors Affecting Erythropoiesis
Several factors influence the erythrocyte production rate, with tissue oxygen level being among the most critical. Intense exercise or high altitudes can cause tissue hypoxia, which triggers the kidneys to release more erythropoietin (EPO) into the bloodstream.
EPO then...
Oxygen Transport in the Blood
Hypoxia
Types of Hypoxia
There are four primary types of hypoxia, each resulting from a different cause:
1. Anemic hypoxia: This type occurs due to insufficient oxygen delivery caused by a lack of red blood cells (RBCs) or RBCs with abnormal or...

