Anatomy and Physiology II Practice Test

Hemoglobin is the red pigment found in red blood cells that is crucial for the transport of oxygen throughout the body. It is a complex protein made up of four polypeptide chains, each containing an iron-containing heme group. The iron in the heme binds to oxygen molecules, allowing hemoglobin to carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.

This ability to bind oxygen is vital for cellular respiration, which is the process by which cells produce energy. Hemoglobin not only facilitates oxygen transport but also aids in the transport of carbon dioxide back to the lungs for exhalation.

Other options do not serve the same function. Reductin is not directly associated with oxygen transport in blood. Oxymyoglobin is a form of myoglobin, a protein found in muscles that also binds oxygen, but it is not present in red blood cells. Hematopoietin refers to a factor involved in blood cell production rather than a pigment or oxygen carrier. Therefore, hemoglobin is the appropriate answer as the key component responsible for oxygen transport in red blood cells.