A blood protein that binds to free hemoglobin and prevents it from damaging blood vessels and tissues.
From Greek 'haptein' meaning 'to fasten' plus 'globin' from Latin 'globus' meaning sphere. The term literally means 'hemoglobin-binding protein' and was named for its function of gripping or holding hemoglobin.
Your body makes haptoglobin specifically to act as a 'hemoglobin bodyguard'—when red blood cells break down, loose hemoglobin would damage your kidneys, but haptoglobin immediately grabs it and escorts it safely to the liver for disposal!
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