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Hematin is a brown-black pigment derived
from hemoglobin.
Although its precise composition has not
yet been determined, it is known to contain heme iron in the ferric
form.
It is
formed by the
oxidation of heme from the ferrous Fe(II) to the ferric Fe(III) state.
The pigment is associated most commonly
with a severe hemolytic crisis after transfusion of incompatible blood
or chronic parasitization of red blood cells by malarial protozoa.
It is usually found in the cytoplasm of
reticuloendothelial cells.
Acid hematin is a
birefringent pigment, different from hemosiderin (refractile but not
birefringent). Formalin pigment and malarial pigment are acid hematin
which
is not stained by the Prussian blue reaction, unlike hemosiderin
which stains positively.

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