Iron balance is regulated by absorption of iron rather than by excretion, because humans cannot actively excrete iron. Iron is absorbed from the small intestine. The regulation of iron absorption and transport is complex; there seems to be an important role for hepcidin, a hormone secreted by the liver. Iron is lost from the body through sloughed skin cells and sloughed enterocytes from the gut...

High-valent iron oxidants are known to be the catalytically active species in heme enzymes, and the last decade has seen similar developments in non-heme-iron biomimetics and biochemistry. 2] Extensive reactivity studies, structural, spectroscopic, and computational work have established {FeOOH} and {Fe=O} as relevant intermediates in catalytic oxygenation processes. The species {Fe=O} has also...

About 10 years ago, a new family of cell wall-deficient, iron-oxidizing archaea, Ferroplasmaceae, within the large archaeal phylum Euryarchaeota, was described. In this minireview, I summarize the research progress achieved since then and report on the current status of taxonomy, biogeography, physiological diversity, biochemistry, and other research areas involving this exciting group of acido...

In clinical medicine, increasing attention is being directed towards the important areas of nutritional biochemistry and toxicant bioaccumulation as they relate to human health and chronic disease. Optimal nutritional status, including healthy levels of vitamin D and essential minerals, is requisite for proper physiological function; conversely, accrual of toxic elements has the potential to im...

The present study deals with effluent analysis of a paper mill using cotton comber and cotton linter as raw material for paper manufacturing process. The effluents generated at different stages were collected. The fibrous sludge samples recovered in different section of mill were also collected. The inorganic parameters i.e. alkalinity, hardness, sulphate, chloride, phosptahe, sodium, potassium...

Perchlorate (ClO4) may appear to be just another addition to a growing list of halogenated chemicals that persist in the environment, but the chemical characteristics of this inorganic anion make it quite unusual. Typical chlorinated aliphatic compounds, such as trichloroethylene (TCE), are relatively insoluble carbonaceous compounds, strictly used for industrial purposes. They are volatile, ad...

The radical AdoMet superfamily comprises a diverse set of >2800 enzymes that utilize iron-sulfur clusters and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM or AdoMet) to initiate a diverse set of radical-mediated reactions. The intricate control these enzymes exercise over the radical transformations they catalyze is an amazing feat of elegance and sophistication in biochemistry. This review focuses on the accumul...

Food iron is absorbed by the intestinal mucosa from two separate pools of heme and nonheme iron. Heme iron, derived from hemoglobin and myoglobin, is well absorbed and relatively little affected by other foods eaten in the same meal. On the other hand, the absorption of nonheme iron, the major dietary pool, is greatly influenced by meal composition. Ascorbic acid is a powerful enhancer of nonhe...

Disruptions in iron homeostasis are linked to a broad spectrum of chronic conditions including cardiovascular, malignant, metabolic, and neurodegenerative disease. Evidence supporting this contention derives from a variety of analytical approaches, ranging from molecular to population-based studies. This review focuses on key epidemiological studies that assess the relationship between body iro...

BACKGROUND Iron is vital for almost all living organisms by participating in a wide range of metabolic processes. However, iron concentration in body tissues must be tightly regulated since excessive iron may lead to microbial infections or cause tissue damage. Disorders of iron metabolism are among the most common human diseases and cover several conditions with varied clinical manifestations....