What role does oxygen play in the production of energy for working muscles?
Once oxygen is delivered to the muscles, the muscles need to make use of the delivered oxygen. Oxygen moves from one place to another by the process of diffusion – this is the downhill movement from a place of high concentration (blood) to a place of low concentration (muscle in this case). Remember oxygen is carried by hemoglobin in the red cells. When blood enters the capillaries surrounding the low oxygen environment of muscle, oxygen leaves the hemoglobin, passes into the liquid part of the blood, pass through the capillary vessel wall, through the liquid surrounding the cells, then through the muscle cell wall, then into the muscle interior to a hemoglobin-like molecule called myoglobin. From myoglobin, the oxygen moves to the real engine of the cell called the mitochondria where the energy is actually produced. “Making Energy” I use quotes because we don’t make energy. Our energy comes from the sun. What we do is transfer energy from the food we eat to be made available for biolo
