Question
Question: How does increased \( pC{{O}_{2}} \) affect the release of oxygen?...
How does increased pCO2 affect the release of oxygen?
Solution
Oxygen forms a complex with haemoglobin called the oxyhaemoglobin. This is how oxygen travels in blood. The levels CO2 affect the saturation of oxygen. Also, it determines the dissociation of oxyhaemoglobin at the tissue level.
Complete answer:
pCO2 is the partial pressure of CO2 and is directly proportional to the dissociation of oxyhaemoglobin.
The partial pressure of CO2 and O2 are responsible for the intake of oxygen between the blood and tissues. Also, it affects the formation of the oxyhaemoglobin complex. Their levels lead to the exchange of O2 and CO2 by diffusion based on the concentration gradient of both the gases.
A concentration gradient of pCO2 works for the diffusion of CO2 from the tissues to the blood and from the blood to the alveoli in lungs. It is the opposite of the diffusion occurring for O2 . Carbon-di-oxide is 20-25 times more soluble in the blood as compared to oxygen. So, the partial pressure of CO2 increases the diffusion of carbon-do-oxide through the diffusion membrane.
Partial pressure CO2 also affects the pH of the blood. When the pH of the blood decreases it results in the liberation of oxygen. The pH of blood is altered when water reacts with carbon-di-oxide to form carbonic acid. So the pH decreases which gradually increases the pCO2 . The increase in pCO2 is the reason for the release of oxygen from the oxyhaemoglobin complex in the tissues. Similarly the decrease in pCO2 results in an increase in pH of blood, which incites haemoglobin to gather more oxygen.
Note:
In the lungs, high pO2 and low pCO2 leads to the formation of haemoglobin and increases intake of oxygen at the alveoli. Simultaneously, low pO2 and high pCO2 results in the dissociation of the oxyhaemoglobin at the tissues. The affinity of haemoglobin is altered by pCO2 .