Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Quantitating Iron Transport Across the Mouse Placenta In Vivo Using Nonradioactive Iron Isotopes
Published on: May 10, 2022
Intestinal iron absorption: current concepts circa 2000
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Abstract:
Iron is essential for all mammalian cells, and particularly needed for the production of erythrocyte haemoglobin. However, excess iron is toxic, and tissue iron concentrations must be strictly regulated. This regulation occurs at the sites of entrance of iron into the body: in the placenta before birth, and the small intestine after birth. Although iron homeostasis has been intensively studied for half a century, the molecular details have only recently begun to emerge. This review will cover current information on intestinal iron absorption.
Related Concept Videos
Drug Absorption: Factors Affecting GI Absorption
In...
Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Anatomical Parameters
Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Disease States and Pharmacology
Substances such as alcohol and specific drugs, including antineoplastics, can also negatively impact drug absorption. For instance,...
Methods for Studying Drug Absorption: In vitro
The diffusion cell method uses a two-compartment cell, including a donor compartment with the drug solution, which simulates the environment where the drug is applied, and a receptor compartment with a buffer solution, which simulates the environment...
Methods for Studying Drug Absorption: In situ
The Doluisio method involves perfusing a prepared segment of a rat's small intestine with a solution of radiolabeled drug and a non-absorbable marker. This helps to differentiate between absorbed and non-absorbed drug concentrations. The intestinal segment is connected at both ends using tubing and syringes,...
Absorption of Nutrients
Enterocytes, which are specialized polar epithelial cells, line the mucosa of the small intestinal walls. These cells...

