Question

What are cytochromes? What is anoxia?

Answer 1

Cytochromes are proteins of the internal mitochondrial membrane that are specialized in electron transfer and participate in the respiratory chain. Energized electrons liberated by the hydrogen donors NADH2 and FADH2 (then reconverted into NAD and FAD) pass through a sequence of cytochromes losing energy in each passage. The energy is then used in the synthesis of ATP.

Anoxia is a situation in which there is no available oxygen in the cell. Whitout oxygen the respiratory chain stops, there is no ATP production, the cell does not obtain energy and dies.

Anoxia can be caused, for example, by pulmonary insufficiency (drowning, extensive pulmonary injuries, etc.), by obstructions, halts and deficiencies in tissue circulation (atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries that irrigate the myocardium, tourniquets, heart arrest), by hemolysis (lysis of red blood cell) or hemoglobin diseases (anemias, fetal erythroblastosis), etc.