Title: Total Iron Binding Capacity

Aim: To determine the total iron binding capacity in order to determine the health state of the

individual

Introduction: Iron is a micromolecules that is needed by the body to carry out its functions.

This molecule is usually obtained via the consumption of red or lean meat, specifically, kidney

and liver. This molecule plays an important role in the cardiovascular system as it is used by the

body to help produce enough haemoglobin in the red capable of producing enough haemoglobin

in the red blood cells. Iron metabolism follows several steps such as absorption, where when the

iron that’s consumed is transformed in the stomach, by the acids that are present, to a form that

allows it to be absorbed. The duodenum absorbs more iron, which is transferred to the

bloodstream from the intestinal lining via ferroportin. Transferrin is the glycoprotein that

transports two Fe 2+ iron atoms through the blood stream. Ideally, the content of iron in the blood

is 70mmol where about 40% of the transferrin sites is bound by iron where as 0.1% of bound

iron circulates in blood plasma. The iron circulating in blood which is bound to haemoglobin is

70% of the total iron in the body, while 20% is stored as ferritin in the bone marrow, liver and

spleen. Iron can be regulated by the presence of iron in the body. When the body is in an iron

deficient state, iron absorption is increased, while when the body is in iron overload state, iron

absorption is decreased. Iron can also be regulated by erythropoiesis, which the rate of red blood

cell synthesis. Generally, the normal iron intake is approximately 10-20mg/ day. It is mainly

obtained from meat, grain products and vegetables, however only 5% to 10% is absorbed.

Haemoglobin in the red blood cells aid in the transportation of oxygen to all cells within

the body from the lungs. The haemoglobin binds to four iron molecules in the red blood cells.
Iron also, supports the muscle metabolism and healthy connective tissue, is necessary for

physical growth neurological development, cellular function and synthesis of hormones. Low

concentration of haemoglobin in the blood exhibits that there is a low iron count which would

cause the concentration of transferrin, molecule that binds to the iron, to be greater than that of

iron resulting in saturation of transferrin. On the other hand, high concentration of haemoglobin

in the blood would mean that there would be a greater concentration of iron, but too much iron

within the blood would mean that transferrin would become saturated thus not enough transferrin

would be present to bind with the iron molecules and reduce iron within the blood. Both states

would be dangerous as too little iron leads to deficiency anaemia and too much iron can lead to

diabetes, liver disease and heart problems. Iron levels in the blood can be regulated by one’s diet.

A diet rich in iron would result in the normal absorption of iron into the cells. However, if a diet

has little iron, then limited or no absorption of iron would take place in the cells. Some of the

iron obtained via food consumption is stored in the iron storages. These storages release iron

when the iron level is decreased and vice versa. Iron levels above the normal range triggers the

secretion of hepcidin which scavenges the excess iron. It accomplishes this by terminating the

intestinal mucosa ferroportin produced. When iron levels are low, hepcidin is reduced and

ferroportin synthesis is increased.

Haemoglobin levels depend on age, gender, race and the general health of a person. The

normal range of haemoglobin concentration for men is 13g/dL (1305g/L) to 18g/dL (180g/L).

Whereas, for females 11g/dL (110g/L) to 16g/dL (160g/L) is a normal range. Therefore, a person

with ranges below these ranges would be considered anaemic, while a person with ranges above

these ranges would be considered to have haemoglobin overload.

cells to take oxygen to the body’s tissues. It is as a result of insufficient iron within the blood,

which makes your body unable to produce enough red blood cells to take oxygen around the

body. This condition may lead to one being tired and having short of breath. It can be corrected

with the help of iron supplements and consuming enough of iron rich food. Polycythemia vera is

one of many reasons for the increase in haemoglobin content. This condition arises when the

bone marrow produces too many red blood cells causing thickening of the blood. Thicken blood

means that blood flows slower and may easily clot, thus the red blood cells are not able to deliver

enough oxygen or even allow absorption of iron within the body. It may cause heart attack,

stroke and heart failure. However, this condition is usually found in men 60 years and over.

Unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC) refers to the portion of the iron binding sites

on the transferrin that are not occupied by iron. Therefore, having a low UIBC indicates that

transferrin is highly saturated with iron and may have hereditary haemochromatosis, i.e. has a

value less than 143µg/dL (25.6µmol/L). Hereditary haemochromatosis is a disorder that causes

the body to absorb too much iron from the diet. On the other hand, having a high UIBC means

that the transferrin is unsaturated with iron, thus low levels of iron is present. The UIBC test is

one way to identify the concentration of iron within an individual. Serum is the liquid that

remains after the clotting elements and blood cells are removed from a sample. It can be used to

help determine the levels of iron by conducting the serum iron test. It is used to help in diagnosis

and treatment of any symptoms that an individual may be experiencing. It is a simple test with

minimal risks, with expected results being 26µg/dL (4.65µmol/L) - 170µg/dL (30.43µmol/L).

Values above these are considered abnormally high iron level and would mean that an individual

consumed too much iron or may indicate haemolytic anaemia or haemolysis (body does not have
healthy red blood cells). A haemoglobin test can be done to determine an individual’s iron

content. The haemoglobin concentration is measured using an assay where a sample of blood is

added to Drabkin’s reagent and take absorbance of mixture. The absorbance is then used to

calculate the haemoglobin content. All these values are obtained using the equation:

Absorbance of sample
× [Standard Concentration]
Absorbance of standard

Total iron binding capacity (TIBC) is a refers to the total amount of iron that is present

within the blood. In order to be able to determine the total iron binding capacity within the

blood, a total iron binding capacity test is done which encompasses of a series of assays. An

assay to investigate the concentration of haemoglobin within the blood is carried out, another

assay to determine the unsaturated iron binding capacity in serum and an assay to determine the

total serum iron. The unsaturated iron binding capacity measures the amount of transferrin in the

serum that is not bound to iron, while the total iron binding capacity measures the amount of

transferrin in the serum that the iron can bind to. The total iron binding capacity can be

calculated from the unsaturated iron binding capacity and the total serum iron: TIBC = total

serum iron + UIBC