Abstract
The presence in extracellular fluid of the β-globulin, transferrin, with a stability constant for the binding of ferric iron of approximately 1023 M−1 guarantees that iron entering the plasma compartment remains completely protein-bound and immune from the formation of insoluble ferric hydroxide until delivered preferentially to the sites of haemoglobin synthesis1. In patients with a congenital failure of transferrin synthesis there is a disturbance both in the delivery of iron to sites of utilisation and in the mobilisation of iron from storage sites2. There is also evidence that transferrin may play a role in the later phase of iron absorption, namely its transport from the intestinal mucosa to the plasma3. This cumulative evidence indicates the importance of transferrin in the overall regulation of iron metabolism.
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Morton, A., Hamilton, S.M., Ramsden, D.B., Tavill, A.S. (1976). Studies on regulatory factors in transferrin metabolism in man and the experimental rat. In: Bianchi, R., Mariani, G., McFarlane, A.S. (eds) Plasma Protein Turnover. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-02644-9_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-02644-9_15
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-02646-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-02644-9
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