Red Blood Cell Recycling

Step 1

Macrophages in liver, spleen and red bone marrow break down RBC. Macrophages breaks down Hemoglobin into Heme and globin.

Step 2

Globin is broken down into amino acids. Heme is broken down into Fe (iron) and Billiverdin.

Step 3

Amino acids get absorb back into RBM to help make more RBCs. Fe gets absorbed back into RBM by transferrin.

Step 4

Biliverdin breaks down in Bilirubin. Bilirubin binds to Albumin in the bloodstream. Bilirubin travels into the liver and is excreted into Bile.

Step 5

Bilirubin is broken down by bacteria into urobilins and stercobilins. It is then eliminated through the feces and urine. Stercobilins is the brown pigment in feces. Urobilin is the yellow pigment is urine.

Step 1.2

Hemoglobin that is NOT phagocytized breakss down into Alpha and Beta chains and is eliminated through the urine.