Final answer:
Red blood cells detoxify peroxides to prevent hemoglobin damage through the glutathione pathway, which protects against oxidative stress and consequent issues like jaundice and methemoglobin formation.
Step-by-step explanation:
To survive, red blood cells (RBCs) detoxify peroxides through a pathway to prevent the denaturation of the globin portion of the hemoglobin molecule. The metabolic pathway primarily responsible for this detoxification is the glutathione pathway. During oxidative stress, RBCs consume all remaining glutathione to manage damaging oxidants. If the glutathione is depleted, proteins including hemoglobin can be damaged, causing an imbalance that may result in the conversion of hemoglobin to bilirubin, leading to conditions such as jaundice. Additionally, RBC metabolism can lead to methemoglobin formation, wherein ferric iron in hemoglobin (Fe³+) cannot bind oxygen, but this is usually prevented by the peroxidase action of glutathione present within the RBCs. Finally, the globin proteins from hemoglobin degradation are metabolized into amino acids, which are then reused for protein synthesis.