Lecture 17 - micronutrients part 4 Flashcards
What foods is iron found in?
a lot of different foods at low levels
rich in liver, meats and plant sources
What are the two forms that iron can be found in foods?
- heme - within the porphyrin ring of hemoglobin and myoglobin) - animals
- non-heme - plants
What are the two states that iron can be found as in the body and in food?
Fe3+ (ferric) and Fe2+ (ferrous)
What are the three functions of iron in the body?
- oxygen transport
- redox rxns - active component of ETC
- iron metalloenzymes
Is iron RDA higher in men or women?
women due to menses
how much of the iron we ingest is absorbed?
10-18%
How is non-heme iron absorbed?
HCl and proteases cleave non-heme iron from food components in the stomach to release mostly ferric iron
the acidic environment of the stomach converts most Fe3+ into ferrous
any remaining fe3+ is reduced into Fe2+ by a reductase enzyme in the small intestine
Fe2+ is taken up into the intestinal cells by the divalent metal transporter1 (DMT1)
How is heme iron absorbed?
released from hemoglobin/myoglobin by proteases in the stomach and small intestine
heme is taken up in the small intestine by heme carrier protein (HCP1)
inside intestinal cells, the heme porphyrin ring is broken down by heme oxygenase, releasing Fe2+ and protoporphyrin
How is Fe2+ used once absorbed?
either used in intestinal cells (stored) or transported through blood via ferroportin
What are factors that influence iron absorption?
chelators
enhancers
inhibitors
What are chelators?
small organic compounds that form a complex with a metal ion
- this can affect iron absorption
- if the iron-chelate is soluble , then absorption is enhanced
- if the iron-chelate is insoluble, then absorption is inhibited
What are some examples of enhancers?
vit C (reducing agent) and some evidence for pectin
What are some examples of inhibitors?
polyphenols (in tea and coffee), oxalic acid (in spinach), and insoluble fibres
How is iron transported in the blood?
in the ferric Fe3+ form bound to transferrin (carrier protein)
Why is it important that iron is bound by a carrier?
unbound ferrous iron has a high redox activity and can readily lose an electron, increasing free radical production
What are the steps to iron absorption and attachment to transferrin?
- in SI, Fe2+ converts to Fe3+ once absorbed by ferroportin
- transferrin binds to Fe3+
- oxidation of Fe2+ by ceruloplasmin necessary to attach iron to transferrin
- transferrin receptor binds to transferrin Fe3+ complex
- Fe3+ is reduced by NADPH, FADH2, Vit C
What is ferritin?
iron storage protein - iron is readily available from ferritin
What is hemosiderin?
complex of ferritins and denatured proteins found mostly in macrophages that engulfed RBC’s iron is poorly available from hemosiderin
How is heme formed steps?
- glycine + succinyl CoA uses B6 to become 5-amino levulinate
- 5-amino levulinate becomes porphyrin
- porphyrin uses Fe2+ to make heme
- heme can go to cytochromes, hemoglobin or myoglobin