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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Quantitating Iron Transport Across the Mouse Placenta In Vivo Using Nonradioactive Iron Isotopes

Quantitating Iron Transport Across the Mouse Placenta In Vivo Using Nonradioactive Iron Isotopes

Published on: May 10, 2022

Mammalian iron metabolism.

Luis G Valerio¹

¹U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition,Office of Food Additive Safety, Division of Biotechnology and GRAS Notice Review, College Park, MD, 20470, USA.

Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods

|December 22, 2009

Summary

Mammalian iron metabolism is tightly regulated to prevent toxicity. This review details key pathways, including dietary uptake via DMT1 and export by ferroportin, emphasizing hepcidin

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Cell Biology
Toxicology

Background:

Iron is essential for mammalian viability, involved in oxygen transport, mitochondrial respiration, and enzyme function.
Unregulated iron can lead to chronic toxicity affecting multiple organ systems.
Homeostatic mechanisms control iron uptake, distribution, and export.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the regulatory mechanisms of normal mammalian iron metabolism.
To emphasize the role of dietary iron exposure and its regulation.
To provide a concise understanding of iron metabolism pathways for controlling toxicity.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on mammalian iron metabolism.
Focus on molecular participants and regulatory pathways.

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Setup of Capillary Electrophoresis-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS) for Quantification of Iron Redox Species (Fe(II), Fe(III))

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Published on: May 10, 2022

Measurement of Tissue Non-Heme Iron Content using a Bathophenanthroline-Based Colorimetric Assay

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Setup of Capillary Electrophoresis-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS) for Quantification of Iron Redox Species (Fe(II), Fe(III))

Setup of Capillary Electrophoresis-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS) for Quantification of Iron Redox Species (Fe(II), Fe(III))

Published on: May 4, 2020

Emphasis on cellular and dietary iron uptake and export mechanisms.

Main Results:

Dietary iron uptake involves divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1).
Cellular iron export is mediated by ferroportin, regulated by the hormone hepcidin.
Iron regulatory proteins (IRP1, IRP2) posttranscriptionally regulate TfR1 and ferritin expression.

Conclusions:

Hepcidin plays a crucial role in regulating iron balance, influencing genetic iron overload diseases.
Understanding iron metabolism is vital for preventing iron toxicity.
Knowledge of iron metabolism aids in identifying deficiencies and focusing future research.