Day 3.1.2 Flashcards
(432 cards)
How much iron does the human body contain?
4-5 grams
What is quantitatively the most important trace element?
Iron
What are the two major ways in which iron is present in the body?
- Protein-bound in blood
2. Intercellular iron-protein complexes
What is the only form of iron that can be absorbed by the bowel?
Bivalent
What % of the total amount of iron is found in heme proteins?
75%
What are the heme proteins responsible for binding the majority of the iron in blood?
Hemoglobin
Myoglobin
What are the intercellular iron-protein complexes responsible for storing iron?
Ferritin
Hemosiderin
Apart from blood, where is iron stored in the body?
Liver
Spleen
Bone marrow
What is Hemosiderin composed of?
A complex of
- Ferritin
- Denatured ferritin
- Other proteins
What part of the GIT is responsible for the absorption of iron?
Upper part of small intestine - mainly duodenum
What way is iron transported in the blood?
As part of transferrin
What are the formative components of transferrin?
Apotransferrin
Ferrous iron
What type of protein is apotransferrin?
Beta globulin
What kind of binding does iron have in transferrin?
Loose
Where is the majority of excess iron stored in the body?
Liver - 60%
What is storage iron?
Iron stored in ferritin
What promptes iron uptake?
Reducing agents like ascorbate (vitamin C)
Why is iron uptake increased by reduce agents in blood?
Because iron is only absorbed in bivalent form
What is the dominant factor controlling absorption of iron from the GI tract?
Saturation of the mucosal cells with iron - this is controlled by the rate at which the transferrin complex can exit the epithelial complex into the vascular system
Hemochromatosis
Iron storage disease
Characteristic signs of hemochromatosis
Bronzing of skin
Diabetes
Weakness
What is the pathophysiology of hemochromatosis?
Inability to store iron results in the deposition of iron-containing pigments in peripheral tissues
What is bilirubin
A product of heme degradation
What blood type is the universal donor?
O