In SIBO an amount of bacteria collapses daily and are supposed to release bacterial ferritin. I've found an article about phytoferritin as nutrient substitute for iron. Are there similarities?
Daer Gudrun,
There is some suggestion in the literature that ferritin may be absorbed as is- if this takes indeed place, then what you mention could be a way of aquiring Fe in SIBO. However, the generally and widely accepted model by which iron is considered to be absorbed in the small intestine sees its hydrolysis in the stomach, reduction (by DYCT to Fe2+) and transport by DMT1. It appears that food iron (and, perhaps also ferritin iron) needs to be solubilized in the gastric juice to join a common iron pool that is then avalable for absorption in the intestine. If there is SIBO, the bacterial ferritin iron will likely not be sloubilised to be available for absorption (in the upper intestine pH is neutral). Unless iron can be 'presented' to the DMT1 by other bacteria (but I have not heard of Fe-commensals, in contrast to vitamin B12 and schort chain fatty acids producers).
Kind Regards
Diego
Given that about 1/3 of human body iron is normally stored in ferritin; exogenous sources of ferritin absorbed orally from vegetable or bacterial sources would be unlikely to contribute greatly to human body ferritin. Although they may contribute to iron storage - but again given that ferritin holds iron very tightly if the idea is to supplement body iron stores there are simpler and more direct ways of doing this - namely with iron supplements or possibly haem.
However one might speculate that exogenous ferritin absorption could be a way of obtaining sustained iron release from non-labile iron hence a relatively non-toxic source.
There is a snag however, Strong acid releases iron from ferritin rather quickly so it would have to be protected from gastric acidity it you wished the ferritin core iron to be absorbed in the small intestine.
I don't think so. If you think about it, one thing is to bind iron by a iron-binding protein and another is that iron to be bioavailable. To import that complexes of iron-protein, the organisms need an specific receptor, like in the case human ferritin, where the receptor recognize the protein by its sequence and 3D structure. It is the same for bacteria, they produce ferritin only for them and to compete with others, host or bacteria iron-binding proteins. In the case that you mention of phytoferritin is possible that this molecule binds iron with a lower affinity than ferritin, and eventually can transfer iron to it if scarce.
I don't think so. Only haem iron can get into intestinal cells intact. Iron contained in haem is later released in the intestinal cells by an enzyme that breaks down haem molecule. All other forms of iron must be released in the intestinal lumen and reduced before absorption. From the intestinal epithelium, Iron from haem and other sources follow a common pathway to the liver.
thank you all for your inputs. I personally have a mild iron overload and SIBO. (no HFE mutation). I hoped I could find a simple explanation other than a hard-to-find mutation.
; )
The article about phytoferritin says, that absorbtion works, but they have no detailled pathway for it. Partly releasing of iron in the stomach, partly endocytosis of ferritin, which carries much more iron-ions than single Fe II-Ions.
I think with SIBO there is a special environment created in the intestine. It's a chronic inflammation, maybe macrophages are envolved. For a non-specialist It's hard to say what may happen...?
I dont think the body would want too much of ferritin either. When there is too much of iron in these ferritin proteins, they get converted into hemosiderin which is toxic for the body. Also, literature suggests that the host usually has abundant amounts of ferritin.
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