Abstract
Iron is an essential mineral that is vital for growth development, normal cellular function, synthesis of hormones and connective tissue, and most importantly, serves as a component of hemoglobin to carry oxygen to body tissues. The body finely regulates the amount of circulating and stored iron within the body to maintain concentration levels within range for optimal physiologic function. Without iron, the ability for cells to participate in electron transport and energy metabolism decreases. Furthermore, hemoglobin synthesis is altered, which leads to anemia and decreased oxygen delivery to tissue. Problems arise when there is too little or too much iron. This review explores the role of the liver in iron physiology, iron overload and discusses the most common causes of primary and secondary hepatic iron overload.
Highlights
Iron is an essential mineral vital for growth development, normal cellular function, synthesis of hormones, and connective tissue and serves as a component of hemoglobin to carry oxygen to body tissues (1)
This review explores the role of the liver in iron physiology, iron overload and discusses the most common causes of primary and secondary hepatic iron overload
Iron sensing can be triggered by two signals belonging to transforming growth factor β (TF saturation and bone morphogenic proteins [BMP]) that regulate hepcidin expression
Summary
Iron is an essential mineral vital for growth development, normal cellular function, synthesis of hormones, and connective tissue and serves as a component of hemoglobin to carry oxygen to body tissues (1). There are many causes of iron overload including genetic disorders, nonalcoholic liver disease, and responses to acute systemic inflammation or infections. Any excess iron formed during hemoglobin synthesis gets converted into “ferritin.” This storage mechanism occurs in other cells, within the liver parenchymal cells, and plays a crucial role in incorporating iron into heme-containing enzymes (4).
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