| Abstract: | The role of heme metabolism in oxidative stress development and defense reactions formation in mammals under different stress factors are discussed in the article. Heme metabolism is considered as the totality of synthesis, degradation, transport and exchange processes of exogenous heme and heme liberated from erythrocyte hemoglobin under erythrocyte aging and hemolysis. The literature data presented display normal heme metabolism including mammals heme-binding proteins and intracellular free heme pool and heme metabolism alterations under oxidative stress development. The main attention is focused to the prooxidant action of heme, the interaction of heme transport and lipid exchange, and to the heme metabolism key enzymes (delta-aminolevulinate synthase and heme oxygenase), serum heme-binding protein hemopexin and intracellular heme-binding proteins participating in metabolism adaptation under the action of factors, which cause oxidative stress. |
