Iron metabolism and disease

Abstract

Iron is an indispensable constituent of virtually all cells, but also a potential biohazard [1,2]. The adult human body contains 3-5 g of iron (45-55 mg/kg of body weight in females and males, respectively). The vast majority (60-70%) is distributed in erythroid cells within the heme prosthetic group of hemoglobin and serves in oxygen binding. Likewise, significant amounts of iron are localized in muscle cells within myoglobin, which also binds oxygen. Other cell types contain lower quantities of heme or nonheme iron (such as iron-sulfur clusters) in cytochromes and various other metalloproteins. Excess of body iron is stored in liver hepatocytes and Kupffer cells, within ferritin and its degradation product hemosiderin.