methemoglobin

or met·hae·mo·glo·bin

[ met-hee-muh-gloh-bin, -hem-uh-, -hee-muh-gloh-, -hem-uh- ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. a brownish compound of oxygen and hemoglobin, formed in the blood, as by the use of certain drugs.

Word History and Origins

Origin of methemoglobin¹

First recorded in 1865–70; met- + hemoglobin

Example Sentences

Methemoglobinemia — which, in simplest terms, is a disorder in which the body’s cells do not receive enough oxygen due to an overproduction of methemoglobin — can occur following “exposure to certain medicines, chemicals, or foods,” Healthline states.

From Fox News

The absorption causes hemoglobin to be converted to methemoglobin, which is incapable of transporting oxygen and so can be fatal to the animal, according to the U.S.

From Reuters

Nitrates become toxic when bacteria in saliva and the gut convert them to nitrites, which in turn convert hemoglobin into methemoglobin, which can’t deliver oxygen to tissues.

From Scientific American

Then they died because the cell-free hemoglobin changed to methemoglobin which cannot carry life-giving oxygen to suffocating body cells.

From Time Magazine Archive