Iron Flashcards
What is the essentially of iron vs. The toxicity of iron?
Iron is an essential cofactor but can be toxic and promote free radical oxidation
What is the prevalence of iron deficiency?
Primary nutritional deficiency in the world ~1-2 billion people
- Can effect GDP of nation
- developing: 50% children & pregnant women
- western: ~10% females
What is the prevalence of hemochromatosis?
Iron overload which is one of the most common genetic disorders
How has evolution influenced iron absorption?
Varies due to evolutionary pressures
- When deficient the boy improves absorption and vicversa
What classification is iron?
Micromineral
What is the most relevant oxidation states of iron in terms of nutrition?
- Ferrous: Fe2+
- Ferric: Fe3+ (oxidized form)
Why is iron important for enzyme and protein function?
- forms a stable geometry in protein
- Required for synthesis and activity of many proteins
- Required for many biological reactions
What are the forms of iron that come from food?
- Heme: 50-60% of iron in animals products
- non-heme: sources from plants, animals, dairy products
What are some examples of heme proteins that require iron?
- hemogobin and myoglobin: O2 carriers
- cytochromes of ETC: 1 e-transfer/transport
- cytochrome P450: detoxification
- others: nitric oxide synthase, catalases, some peroxidases - invovled in activation of O2 or peroxides
What are some examples of non-heme proteins that require iron?
- Fe-S clusters in NADH dehydrogenase and cytochrome c reductase: 1 e-transfer proteins
- single Fe atoms
- oxygen bridged Fe: provides stability
Describe the heme in hemoglobin
hemoglobin is made up of 4 protein subunits which are covalently bonded to a heme group containing iron.
* transport 4 O2
How many hemoglobins are in 1 RBC?
~280 million
What are the general steps of O2 in and CO2 out?
- In lungs O2 binds to oxyhemoglobin
- transported via blood to tissues
- O2 is released to myoglobin
- transported to mitochondria
- aerobic respiration occurs
- deoxyhemoglobin picks up 2 H+ + 2 CO2
- returns to lungs
- CO2 is released
What is heme without the iron?
porphyrin ring
What proteins in the ETC have heme and non-heme proteins?
- heme: cytochromes
- non-heme: iron-sulfur proteins
both are only 1 electron carriers
What is the role of cytochrome P450?
- first line of defense against toxins
- central involvement in metabolism of steroids, drugs and chemical carcinogens
- the heme iron takes e- and uses it to charge an O2 making it highly reactive such that it can make changes to the molecules
What are examples of molecules that can be oxidized by cytochrome P450?
- caffeine
- acetaminophen
- nicotine
- diazepam
- aniline
- benzene
What is an example of a protein with oxygen-bridged iron?
ribonucleotide reductase
* converts ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides which is important for DNA transcription
What is an example of a protein containing single-Fe?
- α-ketoglutarate in the citric acid cycle
- the dioxygenase 5-lipoxygenase for eicosanoid synthesis
- the dioxygenase cysteine dioxygenase for cysteine catabolism & taurine synthesis
When is the greatest need for iron?
periods of growth and blood loss
What is the basal iron loss per day?
GIT, skin, epithelial lining sluffing off (urinary)
* 70 kg male: 1.0 mg
* 55 kg female: 0.75 mg
* menstruation: 1.5 mg
* increased also in pregnancy, parturation, lactation
How much iron needs to be absorbed by males and females per day?
- males: ~1 mg
- females: >1.5 mg
- late stage pregnancy: 4-5 mg
How do infants get iron?
- 0-6 months: Based on AI from breastmilk which does not have much but it is highly bioavailable form called lactoferrin and they have sufficient stores for ~4-6 months
- 7-12 months: weaning foods are iron fortified as they start to lose stores
How are the EARS for iron determined?
factoral modelling taking into account:
* basal irons losses
* menstrual losses
* fetal requirements in pregnancy
* growth and expansion of blood volume
* increases tissue & storage iron
What are the iron DRIs?
Based on RDA:
* males 19-50: 8 mg/day
* females 19-50: 18 mg/day
What is the difference between the EAR and the RDA DRIs?
- EAR: closest to needs of most people
- RDA: needs to meet 97% of population
How much more iron do vegetarians need?
1.8x more
* bioavailability of non-heme from plants is lower and usually has inhibitors
What is the RDA for women taking oral contraceptives?
10.9 mg
* lower because the contraceptive tends to reduce mentstrual losses
What is the reccomendation of supplements for those with defficiency?
recommendation now is to take a moderate ~35mg every other day instead of a high dose everyday
* DRIs are for healthy individuals. If you have an actual deficiency the supplement will probably be pretty high. To high or too often though may suppress absorption of iron.
Common food sources of iron
What food source has really high iron?
3 oz clams: 12-24 mg
What makes heme iron more bioavailable for absorption than non-heme iron?
the intestine can only absorb the Fe2+ state of iron which is what is contained in heme, therefore heme can be absorbed intact into the enterocyte where iron can than be extracted. Non-heme iron is the Fe3+ state so it must first be reduced in the intestine to Fe2+ before it can be absorbed into the enterocyte.
What is the bioavailability difference between heme iron and non-heme iron?
- heme: ~25% absorbed
- non-heme: <17% absorbed
Describe the absorption process of heme iron
- HCl and proteases release the globin and the heme for myglobin and hemoglobin in the GI
- Free heme is absorbed intact by heme carrier protein (hcp1), found primarily on proximal SI
- In the enterocyte, heme is catabolized by heme oxygenase to protoporphyrin and Fe2+
- Fe2+ binds to cytosolic proteins via rC binding protein and which can then go to functional use within the cell OR stored as part of ferritin OR absorption
- ferroportin transports iron across basolateral membrane by coupling transport with the oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ by hephaestin
- Apotransferrin has a high affinity for Fe3+ picking it for transfer as transferrin-Fe3+
Describe the absorption process of non-heme iron
- non-heme iron is released from the protein where some HCl make reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+
- The iron may react with inhibitors and be excreted
- A reductase reduces Fe3+ to Fe2+
- Fe2+ carried into enterocyte via divalent metal transporter (DMT1)
- Fe2+ either transported to cytosolic proteins via rC binding protein OR functional use within the cell OR stored as part of ferritin
- ferroportin transports iron across basolateral membrane by coupling transport with the oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ by hephaestin
- Apotransferrin has a high affinity for Fe3+ picking it for transfer as transferrin-Fe3+
What are some inhibitors of iron absorption?
- alkaline pH
- polyphenols
- oxalic acid
- phytic acid
- phosvitin
- divalent cations
How is iron balance determined?
primarily by iron absorption
When does absorption of iron increase?
When there is an increased need
* iron deficiency
* pregnancy
* hypoxia
* erythropoesis
How does iron absorption increase?
An increased duodenal expression of:
* brush border reductases to convert ferric to ferrous
* DMT1 to transport more into enterocyte
* ferroportin to transport more into circulation
What happens the enzymes and transporters of iron absorption when stores are high?
- expression of the brush border transporters decreases
- the liver secrete hepcidin which targets and binds to ferroportin for degradation and is sluffed off and exctreted with the 3 day turnover of enterocytes
What are the relative quantities of iron involved in the phases of iron absorption?
- iron solubilized: only about half is solublized and available in ferrous form
- Iron uptake by mucosa: only about half of what is solublized is actually taken up be enterocytes
- Iron absorbed: only about half of that is then released to circulation
What factors increase iron absorption (enhancers)?
- meat factor protein (MFP) consumed in same meal for non-heme
- Acidity of vitamin C can solubilise 2+ to 3+
- Other acids and sugars: citric, lactic, gastric
What factors decrease iron absorption (inhibitors)?
- phytates, polyphenols, fibre, soy, whole grains, nuts
- oxalates/oxalic acid in spinach, beets, rhubarb
- tannic acid in tea and coffee
- some minerals/ salts: Ca, Zn, Mn, Ni
- EDTA
How do inhibitors effect iron absorption?
- large molecules can physically block
- act as strong chelators, tightly binding the iron and interfering with absorption
- divalent metal transporters are not specific so other elements may compete
What is the effect of a vegan diet on reduced iron absorption?
only about 10% absorbed because it is only non-heme iron which usually means more oxalates and phytates and no MPF so lots of inhibitors. Even if the system is upregulated for iron absorption, the body will not take in what is not bioavailable
What are some intraluminal factors that can decrease iron absorption?
Any condition or situation that reduces protein digestion &/or nutrient absorption
* Rapid transit time such as fibre
* Malabsorption syndromes
* Lack of digestive juices or gastric acidity, excessive use of antacids
What is the reccomendation for antacids?
Usually reccomended take between meals or before bed to prevent it from effecting iron absorption
Relative absorption of different iron forms