Biologically Active Substance
heme Audio
heme [ heem ]
Subclass of:
Metalloporphyrins
Etymology:
Greek haima = blood
This convenient nickname for the iron-containing fraction of hemoglobin was first used in 1930.
Definitions related to heme:
  • Iron-porphyrin complex that is the color-furnishing portion of hemoglobin; found free in tissues and as the prosthetic group in many hemeproteins.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • The color-furnishing portion of hemoglobin. It is found free in tissues and as the prosthetic group in many hemeproteins.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • The part of certain molecules that contains iron. The heme part of hemoglobin is the substance inside red blood cells that binds to oxygen in the lungs and carries it to the tissues.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • (heme group) A prosthetic group that consists of an iron atom contained in the center of a large heterocyclic organic ring called a porphyrin.
    CRCH Nutrition Terminology
    Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, University of Hawaii, 2021
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