IRON

Dr.V.Saumya, P.G. Biochemistry.

Dietary requirement
Adult man

- 10 mg/day.

Menstruating women

- 20 mg/day

Pregnant and lactating women

- 40 mg/day

Dietary sources
Jaggery,organ meats(liver,heart), leafy vegetables,pulses, cereals,
dry fruits.
Absorption ,transport and storage
Iron is absorbed in the upper part of the duodenum.
In

healthy

individuals

only

about

10%

of

dietary

iron

is

absorbed.Because of poor absorption of iron,the requirement of

iron in diet is about ten times the bodys requirement.

However,in anemic patients and growing children,higher

proportion of dietary iron is absorbed to meet the
increased body demands.
Iron in foods usually occurs in ferric form(fe 3+),bound to
proteins or organic acids.
In the stomach, the fe3+ is released from foods due to the
effect of gastric HCl.
Reducing substances such as ascorbic acid and cysteine
convert ferric iron ( fe3+) to ferrous iron(fe2+).
Iron in the ferrous form is soluble and readily absorbed.

Factors affecting iron absorption :

1.Acidity,ascorbic acid and cyteine promote iron absorption.
2.In iron deficiency anemia,iron absorption is increased .
3.Aminoacids and small peptides favour iron uptake .
4.Phytates (in cereals),oxalates(in leafy vegetables) and
tannins (in tea inhibit iron absorption by forming insoluble
iron salts.
5.A diet with high phosphate content decreases iron
absorption, while low phosphate promotes absorption.
6.Other minerals such as calcium,copper and lead inhibit iron
absorption.

Iron in mucosal cells :

The iron is absorbed into the mucosal cells in ferrous form
and oxidized to ferric form by the enzyme ferroxidase.
F3+ then combines with a protein called apoferritin to form
ferritin.
From the mucosal cells ,iron either enters the circulation or
lost when cells are desquamated.

Transport of iron in the blood :

The iron released from the ferritin of mucosal cells after a
temporary storage enters the plasma in ferrous state.
Here,it is oxidized to ferric form by a copper containing protein
ceruloplasmin which possesses ferroxidase activity.
Ferric iron now binds to an iron binding protein called
transferrin or siderophyllin.
Each transferrin molecule can bind 2 atoms of ferric iron(fe3+).
Transferrin (250mg/dl) can bind with 400 mg/dl of iron in
plasma,this is known as total iron binding capacity(TIBC) of
plasma.

Storage of iron :
Iron is stored in liver,spleen and bone marrow in the form of
ferritin.
In mucosal cells ,ferritin acts as the temporary storage form of
iron.
Hemosiderin is another iron storage protein which accumulates in
the body(spleen,liver), when the supply of iron is in excess of
body demands.
Iron is considered as a one way element because of its
negligible excretion from the body(1 mg/day) which may occur
through bile,sweat,hair loss,etc.
Iron is not excreted in urine.

Iron differs from all other substances which are either

inactivated or excreted during the course of their
metabolism in body,hence iron is efficiently recycled in
body.
Iron entry into body is controlled at the absorption
level,depending on the body needs.
The periodical blood loss in menstruating women increases
its requirement twice as men,increased demands are
also observed in pregnancy, lactation and in growing
children.

Biochemical functions :
1.The major role of iron in humans is to carry oxygen to
tissues and co2 to lungs ,as part of heme protein that in
turn is part of hemoglobin. Oxygen is also bound by
another

iron

containing

heme

protein

in

muscle,myoglobin.
2.Iron plays the vital role inmitochondrial electron transport
as component of cytochromes and iron sulphur proteins.
3.As a component p 450 it is associated with detoxifixcation
of xenobiotics.
4.Iron serves as a component of enzyme catalase in RBC.

Disease states :
1.Iron deficiency anemia :
It is the most common nutritional deficiency disease in the developing
countries. It also occurs due to increased blood loss or defective
absorption.
Occurs in growing children ,adolescent girls and women due toi repeated
pregnancies due to increased physiological demands coupled with
inadequate intake.
Strict vegetarins are prone because of presence of inhibitors of iron
absorption (phytates,oxalates).
It is characterized by microcytic hypochromic anemia with low Hb levels..
Other features include apathy (dull and sluggish), fatigue,pallor, retarded
growth and loss of appetite.

2. Hemosiderosis:
It is a less common disorder characterized by iron overload in body.
It is produced by excessive intake or increased absorption or by excessive
turnover of RBC.
It is commonly observed in persons receiving repeated blood transfusions
over years as patients of hemophilia,hemolytic anemia.
3.Hemochromatosis :
Rare condition may be hereditary or acquired ,the amount of iron is
abnormally increased.
The excessive iron is deposited in the tissues( as liver, spleen,pancreas and
skin).Fe deposition under skin gives it a characteristic bronze pigmentation,
hence the name hemochromatosis.when diabetes,cirrhosis occur along
with hemochromatosis, the condition is referred as bronze diabetes.