Ferritin levels closely parallel body stores of iron. Each ferritin molecule contains 4000-5000 atoms of iron and this iron constitutes around 20 % of its weight.
Ferritin is a lager macromolecule assembly of 24 similar or identical polypeptide subunits, which reversibly concentrates up to 4500 iron atoms in a biocompatible form as an inorganic core of hydrous ferric oxide.
The core varies in crystallinity and composition, within the hollow shell of soluble, protein coat 10 nm thick; assembled complex is approx. 120 nm in diameter.
Most of the body’s ferritin is in tissue cells (liver, spleen, bone, marrow) where it is function is iron storage. During normal iron metabolism the liver contains 95% of the total hepatic ferritin, which is located to the parenchymal cell.
A small fraction circulates in blood plasma where serum ferritin levels reflect the total storage of ferritin iron in the body.
What is ferritin?
