Haptoglobin

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The liver produces haptoglobin and secretes it into the blood, where it finds and attaches to any "free" hemoglobin -- that is, hemoglobin not contained within red blood cells. The concentration of free hemoglobin is ordinarily very low, but the level rises whenever red blood cells are being destroyed.

After haptoglobin attaches to hemoglobin, the molecule goes to the liver where its components (iron, heme, and amino acids) are recycled. This process destroys the haptoglobin. When red blood cells are actively being destroyed, the rate of haptoglobin destruction by the liver will outpace the rate at which new haptoglobin is created. Thus, the levels of haptoglobin in the blood will decrease.

Review Date: 02/01/2005
Reviewed By: Rita Nanda, M.D., Department of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.