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Myoglobin

Feb. 4, 2026

Researchers have developed a flexible, low-cost biosensor capable of detecting myoglobin which is associated with the early stages of a heart attack.

About Myoglobin:

  • It is found predominantly in striated muscle tissue, namely skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle.
    • Specifically, it is in the cytoplasm of cardiac myocytes and the sarcoplasm of oxidative skeletal muscle fibers.
  • It encodes a single polypeptide chain with one oxygen binding site.
  • It is one of the members of the globin superfamily, which also includes hemoglobin. It often gets compared structurally and functionally to hemoglobin.
    • Hemoglobin has four polypeptide chains and four oxygen binding sites.
  • Composition: It is made of amino acids, iron and other molecules that work together to hold onto oxygen.
  • Functions of Myoglobin:
    • Transports Oxygen: It transports oxygen from bloodstream to your muscles when they need it to convert stored energy into movements.
    • It serves as a sensitive indicator of cellular damage when detected in urine or plasma.
    • It serves as a buffer of intracellular oxygen concentrations and as an oxygen reservoir in muscle. 
    • Enzymatic functions: It is necessary for the decomposition of bioactive nitric oxide to nitrate. The removal of nitric oxide enhances mitochondrial respiration.
    • Remove reactive oxygen species: It can do this by interacting with fatty acids.

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