Why does the body sequester iron into storage forms after injury and infection?

Why does the body sequester iron into storage forms after injury and infection?

• A. To conserve energy
• B. To limit iron availability to microbes and reduce oxidative damage
• C. To promote cell proliferation
• D. To facilitate iron release on demand

Answer: (B)

During injury and infection, iron is tightly controlled because microbes need it to grow and it can drive tissue damage if left free. The body lowers circulating iron by increasing hepcidin, which blocks ferroportin and traps iron inside cells, especially in macrophages and the liver, storing it as ferritin. This redistribution reduces the iron available to invading microbes (nutritional immunity) and shrinks the labile iron pool that can catalyze Fenton reactions, thereby limiting oxidative damage to host tissues. In short, sequestering iron into storage forms helps starve pathogens and protect cells from iron-driven injury. If this response is prolonged, it can contribute to anemia of inflammation, but acutely it serves to control infection and minimize damage.

During injury and infection, iron is tightly controlled because microbes need it to grow and it can drive tissue damage if left free. The body lowers circulating iron by increasing hepcidin, which blocks ferroportin and traps iron inside cells, especially in macrophages and the liver, storing it as ferritin. This redistribution reduces the iron available to invading microbes (nutritional immunity) and shrinks the labile iron pool that can catalyze Fenton reactions, thereby limiting oxidative damage to host tissues. In short, sequestering iron into storage forms helps starve pathogens and protect cells from iron-driven injury. If this response is prolonged, it can contribute to anemia of inflammation, but acutely it serves to control infection and minimize damage.