Unlocking The Secrets Of Iron Regulation In Your Body

Описание: Are you wondering about iron regulation throughout your body? Maybe you received some blood tests that are showing some numbers that don't make sense, or you have anemia or you have iron excess, and you just want to understand in a more intricate way what's going on with iron regulation in the human body.

reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabol...

00:00 Introduction to Iron Regulation in the Human Body

This video, we' cover a lot of the subtle aspects of iron regulation. We'll look at the role of hepsidin, the role of ceroplasmin and copper, the role of the immune system, and some testing and things to consider when you want to understand your specific iron regulation in your body.
00:52 Understanding the Basics of Iron Function and Regulation
Alright, let's talk about regulation in the human body. Iron is a fundamental element for various biological functions. It functions in things like the mitochondria, which is used for respiration and metabolism, DNA biosynthesis or production of DNA, hemoglobin, of course, and the carrying of oxygen throughout the body, and many other areas as well.
On the other hand, excess iron can definitely lead to problems too, such as severe organ damage facilitated by the production of reactive oxygen species. These reactive oxygen species, as discussed in previous videos, occur via something known as the Fenton reaction. On the flip side, not enough iron can lead to problems like anemia and fatigue.
So your body has to strike a balance between these two extremes. Too much iron, not enough iron, and sometimes it gets things mixed up and we have to intervene to help the body out, especially in terms of excess or too much. However, it's key to know the difference because if you're trying to give more iron when you have too much, that's going to be a problem.

02:41 Dietary Iron: Types and Absorption Process
03:44 The Role of Proteins and Enzymes in Iron Transport
06:03 The Impact of Inflammation and Infection on Iron Regulation
06:08 Hepcidin: The Master Regulator of Iron Homeostasis
07:57 Disorders Affecting Iron Regulation: Hemochromatosis and Chronic Diseases
09:54 Conclusion and Next Steps for Understanding Iron Regulation
And sometimes, some of the lab metrics and things like that can be confusing and make you think you have too little when you actually have too much. Your body actually uses a very meticulous tracking system and storage mechanisms to carry out this balancing act. It involves collaboration with different parts of the body, such as bone marrow, intestines, liver, and immune cells. These components work in collaboration to create stable iron levels throughout the body.
When you need iron, your body can acquire it, and when there's too much floating around, it tries to put it away in storage places where it's not going to cause damage. This is the iron regulation in the human body, and it starts with your dietary consumption of iron. Dietary iron comes in two basic forms, Fe2 and Fe3. The Fe3 form is more common in plant-based sources, while the Fe2 form is found in animal sources. The body actually prefers the Fe2 form for absorption through the intestines and into the bloodstream. That's referred to as ferrous iron. The Fe3 form is ferric iron. In the intestines, different parts of the intestine perform different functions.
In the duodenum and upper jejunum, which is the upper part of the small intestine, the Fe3 form is converted into the Fe2 form, depending on the source of that iron. This conversion occurs inside the intestinal cells. Getting iron from the intestines into the bloodstream requires several steps, which are important to understand in the overall process of iron regulation in the human body.
The iron is transported into the intestinal cells via an iron exporter called ferroprotein (FPN). Once the iron is inside the intestinal cell, it gets converted back into the Fe3 form through a copper-containing enzyme called ferroxidase. This conversion is important because the Fe3 form is more stable and less likely to cause damage. Once the iron is in the cell, it binds to a transferrin protein, which allows it to be transported through the bloodstream. Transferrin is an iron-binding protein that acts as a shuttle, ensuring the safe transport of iron where it's needed. It also helps prevent iron from causing oxidative damage by binding to it and keeping it in the Fe3 form. At the tissue level, transferrin binds to a receptor called TFR1, allowing the iron to be taken up into the cells.
When it comes to iron absorption through the diet, the intestines act as a gatekeeper. The main gatekeeper is that initial iron uptake into the intestinal cells via the ferroportin (FPN) transport protein. Another important protein in iron regulation is ceruloplasmin, which is a copper-containing protein.