ABSTRACT
Iron is a fundamental element of almost every organism. It contributes in a wide variety of metabolic processes including oxygen transport, heme and nonheme iron
proteins, electron transfer, neurotransmitter synthesis, myelin production, energy metabolism, and mitochondrial function in the organs (Camaschella, 2005; Hentze et al., 2004; Napier et al., 2005; Stankiewicz et al., 2007). Ribonucleotide reductase (the rate-limiting enzyme of DNA synthesis) and succinate dehydrogenase and aconitase of the TCA cycle are also iron-dependent enzymes (Crowe and Morgan, 1992). However, the excess of iron can lead to the production of oxygen free radicals, which can damage various cellular components. In contrast to many other nutrients, the body has no dened excretory mechanism for iron; for this reason, organisms must regulate the body iron at intestinal absorption levels to provide the body with sufcient iron for cellular needs without developing the toxicity due to iron excess (Frazer and Anderson, 2005).
