Years ago the suggestion was made 1 that chlorophyll, the green pigment of the leaves of plants, is similar chemically to the nonprotein portion of hemoglobin. Subsequent investigations have borne out this view and have demonstrated that both are composed of a nucleus of substituted pyrrol rings. As is well known, the fundamental difference between the two pigments is that iron is present in hemoglobin whereas magnesium occurs in chlorophyll.
The similarity of the two substances has prompted speculation regarding the possible value of chlorophyll as an agent for promoting blood formation. Animal experiments to test the possible existence of such a relation have yielded conflicting results. It has been stated 2 that rabbits rendered anemic by bleeding recover more rapidly if chlorophyll is added to the diet.
Somewhat similar results have been obtained by several other investigators in rats 3 and in dogs. They have four porphyrin rings with an iron atom at the centre. Each iron atom is able to bind to oxygen. Porphyrin ring structures are present in many other organic or living molecules. Other than haemoglobins, porphyrin ring structures are found in myoglobin, cytochromes etc.
It would be interesting to speculate that the porphyrin rings of haemoglobin and chlorophyll would be exchangeable. Imagine, if conditions such as anaemia, could be cured, just by eating more green plants!
A study found that drinking wheat grass juice which is rich in chlorophyll helped to increase the Haemoglobin in anemic women. The raw materials for the construction of haemoglobin and chlorophyll are the same. However, it is very important to note that plants and animals are very different from each other, and that experiments that take place outside the body cannot be replicated inside the body; there are various obstacles that take place because the processes inside the body are very complex.
It is again interesting to note, that though so similar in structure, chlorophyll is present in plant, which is primary producer, whereas, haemoglobin is present in animals, which are consumers.
In the course of evolution, it was plants that arrived on this planet long before animals did, and with them haemoglobin. They have a characteristic colour.
Some are green in colour while some are red, orange and yellow in colour. Chlorophyll is the primary pigment of plant life. It requires the production of foods in photosynthetic organisms. On the other hand, haemoglobin is a red colour pigment present in human blood. It is a respiratory pigment that transports oxygen and nutrients around the human body.
Though chlorophyll and haemoglobin present in two different types of organisms, they have a similar structure. Thus, they are composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.
However, the central element is a significant difference between chlorophyll and haemoglobin. Magnesium is the central element of chlorophyll while iron serves as the central element of haemoglobin.
Overview and Key Difference 2. What is Chlorophyll 3. What is Haemoglobin 4. Promote the health of circulation, cleanse the body, increase the number of red blood cells and therefore increase oxygen throughout the body, in other words, Chlorophyll helps build hemoglobin. This is exactly what our sickle cell babies and others need, to build hemoglobin!
The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch? Register for a user account. Nicole Moseley , Neighbor.
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