Knowledge Check • The Blood Project

What compartment in the body contains the most iron?

Hemoglobin in erythrocytes

Daily iron absorption is a mere 1-2 mg. Is that enough to “feed” developing erythroid cells in the bone marrow?

No! Developing erythroid cells need over 20 mg Fe per day, most of which is obtained from macrophages that have engulfed senescent red cells (recycling pool).

Match the body compartment with the amount of iron present in that compartment:

Red blood cells

Transferrin

Liver storage

3 mg

1000 mg

1800 mg

Correct! Sorry, Incorrect.

Which iron pool is missing from the above schematic?

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Transport pool (iron bound to transferrin)

Why is serum iron bound to transferrin?

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Because free (non-transferring bound) iron is toxic to tissues!