Duodenal Lamina Propria Transferrin—A New Player in the Mucosal Block of Dietary Iron Absorption?

Iron is an essential trace element, and its homeostasis is subjected to strict regulatory mechanisms.Hepcidin, a liver synthesized antimicrobial peptide, is the master regulator of systemic iron homeostasis.It is the crucial player in mucosal block theory of iron absorption, as it binds and degrades ferroportin, only known iron exporter protein.A recent work by Sukhbaatar et al. 2023., identified that macrophages of the lamina propria (LP) in the intestine can regulate intestinal iron absorption by modulating the levels of the iron-transporter protein transferrin 2 through mTORC1.This finding shed new insights into the role of intestinal macrophages and transferrin (Tf ) in iron homeostasis.