- hemopexin
- A serum glycoprotein related to β-globulins, with molecular weight around 57,000, containing 22% carbohydrate; important in binding heme and porphyrins, preventing excretion, and perhaps regulating heme in drug metabolism. [hemo- + G. pexis, fixation, + -in]
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he·mo·pex·in or chiefly Brit hae·mo·pex·in -'pek-sən n a glycoprotein that binds heme preventing its excretion in urine and that is part of the beta-globulin fraction of human serum* * *
he·mo·pex·in (he″mo-pekґsin) a plasma glycoprotein, mol. wt. 57,000, in the β1-globulin band; it is produced by hepatocytes and its function is the binding of free heme in plasma; it has one binding site for hematin forming a tight complex that is taken up and degraded by hepatocytes.
Medical dictionary. 2011.
