Topic Highlight
Copyright ©2007 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 21, 2007; 13(35): 4716-4724
Published online Sep 21, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i35.4716
Molecular mechanisms involved in intestinal iron absorption
Paul Sharp, Surjit Kaila Srai
Paul Sharp, Nutritional Sciences Division, King’s College London, London SE1 9NH, United Kindom
Surjit Kaila Srai, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University College London, London NW3 2PF, United Kingdom
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Paul Sharp, Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, King’s College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom. paul.a.sharp@kcl.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 -20-78484481
Received: March 30, 2007
Revised: April 23, 2007
Accepted: April 29, 2007
Published online: September 21, 2007
Abstract

Iron is an essential trace metal in the human diet due to its obligate role in a number of metabolic processes. In the diet, iron is present in a number of different forms, generally described as haem (from haemoglobin and myoglobin in animal tissue) and non-haem iron (including ferric oxides and salts, ferritin and lactoferrin). This review describes the molecular mechanisms that co-ordinate the absorption of iron from the diet and its release into the circulation. While many components of the iron transport pathway have been elucidated, a number of key issues still remain to be resolved. Future work in this area will provide a clearer picture regarding the transcellular flux of iron and its regulation by dietary and humoral factors.

Keywords: Haem; Non-haem iron; DMT1; IREG1; Dcytb; Hephaestin