ABSTRACT
Iron is the fourth most abundant element in the earth’s crust and is involved in many different important biological and chemical processes. All aerobic organisms require iron as a catalytic cofactor for various reactions, and thus, it is an essential dietary nutrient. Iron is involved in heme synthesis, oxygen transport via hemoglobin, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, changes in chromatin structure, xenobiotic metabolism, and oxidative stress defense (Li et al., 2006; Vergara and Thiele, 2008). When complexed within a heterocyclic ring of protoporphyrins, iron forms heme. Heme can bind to several different proteins, forming hemeproteins that have diverse essential functions, including diatomic gas transport, electron transfer, and transcription regulation (Li et al., 2011). Heme iron is coordinated by α-and β-globin helices in hemoglobin, the oxygen transporting metalloprotein present in all red blood cells.
