In medicine and biochemistry, it is the name of a small protein capable of carrying oxygen, which is found in the heart muscle and other muscles. It was the first protein to have its three-dimensional structure experimentally determined. Its high presence in the bloodstream can lead to rhabdomyolysis.
MYOGLOBIN is a muscle heteroprotein, structurally and functionally very similar to hemoglobin. It also has a heme group containing an iron atom. It is small in size and has oxygen attached, which provides extra oxygen so that the muscles can maintain a high level of activity for an extended period of time. When a muscle is damaged, the myoglobin in the muscle cells is released into the bloodstream.
