Gas

Exchange

Biochemistry Department
Human Respiratory System
 The Respiratory System

Functions to supply “Respiration” is

the body w/ O2 and actually 4 distinct
remove CO2 processes:

External Respiration
Internal Respiration –
Ventilation – – Gas exchange btwn
Transport of Gases – Gas exchange btwn
Movement of air into blood and air-filled
Accomplished by CV systemic blood and
& out of the lungs chambers of the
the tissue cells
lungs
 The Respiratory System

The respiratory system works with the cardiovascular system to exchange

gases between the air and blood (external respiration) and between blood
and tissue fluids (internal respiration).

Inspiration and expiration move air in and out of the lungs

during breathing.

Cellular respiration is the final destination where ATP is

produced in cells.
 Overview of Respiratory Exchange

Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings Figure 18-1: Overview of oxygen and exchange and Transport CO2
Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures

States the total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is the sum

of the pressures exerted individually by each gas in the mixture.
• PTotal = P1 + P2 + P3 + P4 + … Pn

We can restate this law as the total pressure exerted by a

mixture of gases is the sum of the partial pressures exerted by
each gas.

Also, the partial pressure exerted by a gas is directly proportional

to its % in the mixture.
 Gas Movement

Factors that can influence

the diffusion of CO2 and O2
across the respiratory
membrane include:

Matching of alveolar Thickness and surface area

Partial pressure gradients
ventilation w/ pulmonary of the respiratory
& solubilities
perfusion membrane
 PP and Solubilities

Po2 of venous blood is 40mmHg. Po2 of alveolar air is 104mmHg.

• What does this mean?

Pco2 of venous blood is 45mmHg. Pco2 of alveolar air is 40mmHg.

• What does this mean?

Although the P is much greater for O2, since the solubility of CO2
is so much larger equal amts of gas will be exchanged.

What about exchange between the blood and the tissues?

 Respiratory Membrane

In healthy lungs, the

respiratory membrane is
0.5-1.0 um thick and gas
exchange is efficient.

How will this affect the

In pneumonia, the
efficiency of gas
thickness of the RM 
exchange?

In emphysema, walls of
The surface area of How will this affect lung
adjacent alveoli break
healthy lungs is surface area and gas
thru and the size of the
enormous. exchange?
alveolar chambers 
 O2 Transport

Molecular oxygen
in the blood is
Each Hb can bind 4
either dissolved in
molecules of O2
the plasma (1.5%)
and this binding is
or bound to
quite reversible.
hemoglobin w/i the
RBCs (98.5%).

Carbon monoxide
Hb containing has an extremely
bound O2 is high affinity for
oxyhemoglobin hemoglobin’s
and Hb w/o O2 is oxygen binding site
deoxyhemoglobin. • Why is this bad?
 O2 Transport

Loading and unloading of O2 is given

by a simple reversible equation:
HHb+O2  HbO2 + H+

O2 binding is “cooperative”

The binding of the 1st O2 molecule causes the Hb to change shape which
makes it easier for the 2nd O2 to bind. Binding of the 2nd O2 makes it
easier for the 3rd and binding of the 3rd makes it easier for the 4th.
O2 Transport

When Hb has 4 bound When the saturation of

As O2 loading proceeds, O2 molecules it is Hb is plotted against
the affinity of Hb for O2 saturated. When it has the Po2, we get the
 1,2, or 3 it’s oxygen-hemoglobin
unsaturated dissociation curve.
Hb-O2 dissociation curve is sigmoidal.
Why?

Hb is almost completely saturated at a

Po2 of 70mmHg.

At pulmonary Po2 of 104mmHg, Hb is

completely saturated.

Even at the tissue Po2 of 40mmHg, Hb

is still 75% saturated – meaning that it
still has 3 molecules of O2 bound to it.
• Thus large amts of O2 are still available in
venous blood (the so-called venous reserve)
• As the tissue Po2 decreases, what happens to
the amt of O2 available in the venous reserve?
Factors affecting O2 binding
As cellular metabolism proceeds, CO2,
acids, and heat are all generated.

As Pco2, [H+]Plasma, and temperature ,

the affinity Hb has for O2 will .

All these factors shift the Hb-O2

dissociation curve to the right.

What does all this mean and why does

it make sense?

The Bohr Effect

 Carbon Dioxide Transport

Carbon dioxide is
transported in the
blood in three forms

Bicarbonate ion in
Chemically bound to
Dissolved in plasma plasma – 70% is
hemoglobin – 20%
– 7 to 10% transported as
is carried in RBCs
bicarbonate (HCO3–)
CO2 Transport

7% is simply dissolved in plasma.

23% is bound to certain amino acids in the polypeptide

portion of Hb (carbaminohemoglobin)

70% is transported as HCO3-, the bicarbonate ion.

CO2 made in tissue cells will dissolve into the RBC where
it combines with water to yield carbonic acid. Carbonic
acid then dissociates to yield bicarbonate and a
hydrogen ion.
CO2 Transport

CO2 + H2O  H2CO3  HCO3- + H+

This rxn occurs in the RBCs because the RBCs

contain the enzyme (carbonic anhydrase) that
catalyzes both steps.

Once generated, the HCO3- exits the RBC.

To maintain charge balance,

This is known as the
a Cl- enters the RBC when
the HCO3- leaves. chloride shift.
Transport and Exchange of Carbon Dioxide

► Carbon dioxide diffuses into RBCs and combines with

water to form carbonic acid (H2CO3), which quickly
dissociates into hydrogen ions and bicarbonate ions

CO2 + H2O  H2CO3  H+ + HCO3–

Carbon Carbonic Hydrogen Bicarbonate
Water
dioxide acid ion ion
► InRBCs, carbonic anhydrase reversibly catalyzes the
conversion of carbon dioxide and water to carbonic acid
Transport and Exchange of Carbon Dioxide

Figure 22.22a
Transport and Exchange of Carbon Dioxide

At the • Bicarbonate ions move into the

lungs, RBCs and bind with hydrogen ions
to form carbonic acid
these • Carbonic acid is then split by
processes carbonic anhydrase to release
carbon dioxide and water
are • Carbon dioxide then diffuses from
the blood into the alveoli
reversed
Transport and Exchange of Carbon Dioxide

Figure 22.22b