Estimation of Dietary Iron Bioavailability from Food Iron Intake and Iron Status

Currently there are no satisfactory methods for estimating dietary iron absorption (bioavailability) at a population level, but this is essential for deriving dietary reference values using the factorial approach. The aim of this work was to develop a novel approach for estimating dietary iron absorption using a population sample from a sub-section of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). Data were analyzed in 873 subjects from the 2000–2001 adult cohort of the NDNS, for whom both dietary intake data and hematological measures (hemoglobin and serum ferritin (SF) concentrations) were available. There were 495 men aged 19–64 y (mean age 42.7±12.1 y) and 378 pre-menopausal women (mean age 35.7±8.2 y). Individual dietary iron requirements were estimated using the Institute of Medicine calculations. A full probability approach was then applied to estimate the prevalence of dietary intakes that were insufficient to meet the needs of the men and women separately, based on their estimated daily iron intake and a series of absorption values ranging from 1–40%. The prevalence of SF concentrations below selected cut-off values (indicating that absorption was not high enough to maintain iron stores) was derived from individual SF concentrations. An estimate of dietary iron absorption required to maintain specified SF values was then calculated by matching the observed prevalence of insufficiency with the prevalence predicted for the series of absorption estimates. Mean daily dietary iron intakes were 13.5 mg for men and 9.8 mg for women. Mean calculated dietary absorption was 8% in men (50^th percentile for SF 85 µg/L) and 17% in women (50^th percentile for SF 38 µg/L). At a ferritin level of 45 µg/L estimated absorption was similar in men (14%) and women (13%). This new method can be used to calculate dietary iron absorption at a population level using data describing total iron intake and SF concentration.     

铁代谢红细胞系调节因子与铁稳态

红细胞合成是人类和其他脊椎动物最耗铁的生理过程,对机体铁稳态具有重要调节作用。Erythroferrone（ERFE）是红细胞系来源的调节铁调素的主要激素。当机体存在应激性红细胞合成时,ERFE合成增加,铁调素表达受抑,可促进机体铁吸收和储铁动员,满足红细胞合成对铁的需求,但在无效红细胞生成疾病中,通过此作用也导致了铁过载的发生。ERFE抑制肝细胞合成铁调素的作用机制尚不清楚,但至少部分地依赖BMP/SMAD信号通路。ERFE对铁代谢障碍性疾病和红细胞生成紊乱性贫血有重要的诊断及治疗价值。     

A Bacterial Iron Exporter for Maintenance of Iron Homeostasis

Nutritional iron acquisition by bacteria is well described, but almost nothing is known about bacterial iron export even though it is likely to be an important homeostatic mechanism. Here, we show that Bradyrhizobium japonicum MbfA (Blr7895) is an inner membrane protein expressed in cells specifically under high iron conditions. MbfA contains an N-terminal ferritin-like domain (FLD) and a C-terminal domain homologous to the eukaryotic vacuolar membrane Fe²⁺/Mn²⁺ transporter CCC1. An mbfA deletion mutant is severely defective in iron export activity, contains >2-fold more intracellular iron than the parent strain, and displays an aberrant iron-dependent gene expression phenotype. B. japonicum is highly resistant to iron and H₂O₂ stresses, and MbfA contributes substantially to this as determined by phenotypes of the mbfA mutant strain. The N-terminal FLD was localized to the cytoplasmic side of the inner membrane. Substitution mutations in the putative iron-binding amino acid residues E20A and E107A within the N-terminal FLD abrogate iron export activity and stress response function. Purified soluble FLD oxidizes ferrous iron (Fe²⁺) to incorporate ferric iron (Fe³⁺) in a 2:1 iron:protein ratio, which does not occur in the E20A/E107A mutant. The FLD fragment is a dimer in solution, implying that the MbfA exporter functions as a dimer. MbfA belongs to a protein family found in numerous prokaryotic genera. The findings strongly suggest that iron export plays an important role in bacterial iron homeostasis.     

Effects of Iron Chelators,Iron Salts,and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on the Proliferation and the Iron Content of Oligodendroglial OLN-93 Cells

The oligodendroglial cell line OLN-93 was used as model system to investigate the consequences of iron deprivation or iron excess on cell proliferation. Presence of ferric or ferrous iron chelators inhibited the proliferation of OLN-93 cells in a time and concentration dependent manner, while the application of a molar excess of ferric ammonium citrate (FAC) prevented the inhibition of proliferation by the chelator deferoxamine. Proliferation of OLN-93 cells was not affected by incubation with 300 μM iron that was applied in the form of FAC, FeCl₂, ferrous ammonium sulfate or iron oxide nanoparticles, although the cells efficiently accumulated iron during exposure to each of these iron sources. The highest specific iron content was observed for cells that were exposed to the nanoparticles. These data demonstrate that the proliferation of OLN-93 cells depends strongly on the availability of iron and that these cells efficiently accumulate iron from various extracellular iron sources.     

Iron metabolism

The understanding of iron metabolism at the molecular level has been enormously expanded in recent years by new findings about the functioning of transferrin, the transferrin receptor and ferritin. Other recent developments include the discovery of the hemochromatosis gene HFE, identification of previously unknown proteins involved in iron transport, divalent metal transporter 1 and stimulator of Fe transport, and expanded insights into the regulation and expression of proteins involved in iron metabolism. Interactions among principal participants in iron transport have been uncovered, although the complexity of such interactions is still incompletely understood. Correlated efforts involving techniques and concepts of crystallography, spectroscopy and molecular biology applied to cellular processes have been, and should continue to be, particularly revealing.     

Iron Therapy

Of 20 locally available brands of margarine, four were labelled as containing polyunsaturates and three as containing corn oil. Only one product contained significantly more cis-methylene-interrupted fatty acids than did regular margarines.     

Iron deficiency

Iron deficiency and anemia affect a substantial portion of the world’s population, provoking severe health problems to the people suffering these conditions, as well as important economic losses to the regions in which this nutritional deficiency is significant. In this work, the principal causes and consequences produced by this deficiency are discussed, as well as the different strategies that can be applied in order to prevent and solve this nutritional problem.