Iron Homeostasis in Host and Gut Bacteria - a Complex Interrelationship

Overview

Journal Gut Microbes

Specialties Gastroenterology
Microbiology

Date 2021 Feb 5

PMID 33541211

Citations 60

Authors

Yohannes Seyoum

Kaleab Baye

Christele Humblot

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Iron deficiency is the most frequent nutritional deficiency in the world with an estimated 1.4 billion people affected. The usual way to fight iron deficiency is iron fortification, but this approach is not always effective and can have undesirable side effects including an increase in the growth and virulence of gut bacterial pathogens responsible for diarrhea and gut inflammation. Iron is mainly absorbed in the duodenum and is tightly regulated in mammals. Unabsorbed iron enters the colonic lumen where many microorganisms, referred to as gut microbiota, reside. Iron is essential for these bacteria, and its availability consequently affects this microbial ecosystem. The aim of this review is to provide further insights into the complex relationship between iron and gut microbiota. Given that overcoming anemia caused by iron deficiency is still a challenge today, gut microbiota could help identify more efficient ways to tackle this public health problem.

Citing Articles

Critical Review of the Cross-Links Between Dietary Components, the Gut Microbiome, and Depression.

Randeni N, Xu B Int J Mol Sci. 2025; 26(2).

PMID: 39859327 PMC: 11765984. DOI: 10.3390/ijms26020614.

Iron Homeostasis Dysregulation, Oro-Gastrointestinal Microbial Inflammatory Factors, and Alzheimer's Disease: A Narrative Review.

Kuziak A, Heczko P, Pietrzyk A, Strus M Microorganisms. 2025; 13(1).

PMID: 39858890 PMC: 11767265. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms13010122.

Siderophore synthetase-receptor gene coevolution reveals habitat- and pathogen-specific bacterial iron interaction networks.

Gu S, Shao Z, Qu Z, Zhu S, Shao Y, Zhang D Sci Adv. 2025; 11(3):eadq5038.

PMID: 39813347 PMC: 11734721. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq5038.

Gut Microbiota: An Important Participant in Childhood Obesity.

Luo Y, Li M, Luo D, Tang B Adv Nutr. 2024; 16(2):100362.

PMID: 39733798 PMC: 11786877. DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2024.100362.

Barriers and carriers for transition metal homeostasis in plants.

Chao Z, Chao D Plant Commun. 2024; 6(2):101235.

PMID: 39731291 PMC: 11897463. DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.101235.

References

DONATI R, McLaughlin M, Levri E, Berman A, Stromberg L . The response of iron metabolism to the microbial flora: studies on germfree mice. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1969; 130(3):920-2. DOI: 10.3181/00379727-130-33687. View

Muleviciene A, DAmico F, Turroni S, Candela M, Jankauskiene A . Iron deficiency anemia-related gut microbiota dysbiosis in infants and young children: A pilot study. Acta Microbiol Immunol Hung. 2018; 65(4):551-564. DOI: 10.1556/030.65.2018.045. View

Zimmermann M, Chassard C, Rohner F, NGoran E, Nindjin C, Dostal A . The effects of iron fortification on the gut microbiota in African children: a randomized controlled trial in Cote d'Ivoire. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010; 92(6):1406-15. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.110.004564. View

Dostal A, Chassard C, Hilty F, Zimmermann M, Jaeggi T, Rossi S . Iron depletion and repletion with ferrous sulfate or electrolytic iron modifies the composition and metabolic activity of the gut microbiota in rats. J Nutr. 2011; 142(2):271-7. PMC: 3260059. DOI: 10.3945/jn.111.148643. View

Chung J, Wessling-Resnick M . Molecular mechanisms and regulation of iron transport. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci. 2003; 40(2):151-82. DOI: 10.1080/713609332. View

Nitert M, Gomez-Arango L, Barrett H, McIntyre H, Anderson G, Frazer D . Iron supplementation has minor effects on gut microbiota composition in overweight and obese women in early pregnancy. Br J Nutr. 2018; 120(3):283-289. DOI: 10.1017/S0007114518001149. View

Dostal A, Lacroix C, Pham V, Zimmermann M, DelHomme C, Bernalier-Donadille A . Iron supplementation promotes gut microbiota metabolic activity but not colitis markers in human gut microbiota-associated rats. Br J Nutr. 2014; 111(12):2135-45. DOI: 10.1017/S000711451400021X. View

Hantke K . Is the bacterial ferrous iron transporter FeoB a living fossil?. Trends Microbiol. 2003; 11(5):192-5. DOI: 10.1016/s0966-842x(03)00100-8. View

Moretti D, Goede J, Zeder C, Jiskra M, Chatzinakou V, Tjalsma H . Oral iron supplements increase hepcidin and decrease iron absorption from daily or twice-daily doses in iron-depleted young women. Blood. 2015; 126(17):1981-9. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2015-05-642223. View

10.

Taylor M, Qu A, Anderson E, Matsubara T, Martin A, Gonzalez F . Hypoxia-inducible factor-2α mediates the adaptive increase of intestinal ferroportin during iron deficiency in mice. Gastroenterology. 2011; 140(7):2044-55. PMC: 3109109. DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2011.03.007. View

11.

Powell J, Bruggraber S, Faria N, Poots L, Hondow N, Pennycook T . A nano-disperse ferritin-core mimetic that efficiently corrects anemia without luminal iron redox activity. Nanomedicine. 2014; 10(7):1529-38. PMC: 4315135. DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2013.12.011. View

12.

Le Blanc S, Garrick M, Arredondo M . Heme carrier protein 1 transports heme and is involved in heme-Fe metabolism. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2012; 302(12):C1780-5. DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00080.2012. View

13.

Chu B, Garcia-Herrero A, Johanson T, Krewulak K, Lau C, Peacock R . Siderophore uptake in bacteria and the battle for iron with the host; a bird's eye view. Biometals. 2010; 23(4):601-11. DOI: 10.1007/s10534-010-9361-x. View

14.

Lopez A, Cacoub P, Macdougall I, Peyrin-Biroulet L . Iron deficiency anaemia. Lancet. 2015; 387(10021):907-16. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60865-0. View

15.

Krishnamurthy P, Xie T, Schuetz J . The role of transporters in cellular heme and porphyrin homeostasis. Pharmacol Ther. 2007; 114(3):345-58. DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2007.02.001. View

16.

Schaible U, Kaufmann S . A nutritive view on the host-pathogen interplay. Trends Microbiol. 2005; 13(8):373-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2005.06.009. View

17.

Blachier F, Vaugelade P, Robert V, Kibangou B, Canonne-Hergaux F, Delpal S . Comparative capacities of the pig colon and duodenum for luminal iron absorption. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2007; 85(2):185-92. DOI: 10.1139/y07-007. View

18.

Donovan A, Brownlie A, Zhou Y, Shepard J, Pratt S, Moynihan J . Positional cloning of zebrafish ferroportin1 identifies a conserved vertebrate iron exporter. Nature. 2000; 403(6771):776-81. DOI: 10.1038/35001596. View

19.

Vulpe C, Kuo Y, MURPHY T, Cowley L, Askwith C, Libina N . Hephaestin, a ceruloplasmin homologue implicated in intestinal iron transport, is defective in the sla mouse. Nat Genet. 1999; 21(2):195-9. DOI: 10.1038/5979. View

20.

Das N, Schwartz A, Barthel G, Inohara N, Liu Q, Sankar A . Microbial Metabolite Signaling Is Required for Systemic Iron Homeostasis. Cell Metab. 2019; 31(1):115-130.e6. PMC: 6949377. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2019.10.005. View