: the decrease in the oxygen affinity of a respiratory pigment (such as hemoglobin) in response to decreased blood pH resulting from increased carbon dioxide concentration in the blood
Examples of Bohr effect in a Sentence
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Thanks to a phenomenon called the Bohr effect, rising acidity reduces the ability of your red blood cells to ferry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body, including your brain.
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Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 24 Apr. 2025
The Geneo Personal capsule combined with the Gel create a layer of CO2 bubbles on the skin which triggers a natural mechanism to release oxygen from the capillaries to the skin's cells, a physiological response known as the Bohr effect.
—Meggen Taylor, Forbes, 20 May 2021
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Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 24 Apr. 2025
The Geneo Personal capsule combined with the Gel create a layer of CO2 bubbles on the skin which triggers a natural mechanism to release oxygen from the capillaries to the skin's cells, a physiological response known as the Bohr effect.
—Meggen Taylor, Forbes, 20 May 2021
Cite this Entry
“Bohr effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Bohr%20effect. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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Bohr effect
noun
: the decrease in oxygen affinity of a respiratory pigment (as hemoglobin or hemocyanin) in response to decreased blood pH resulting from increased carbon dioxide concentration
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