About serum ferritin

Ferritin which is present in the bloodstream of a human is called serum ferritin. It is in charge of storing and using different sorts of proteins in the human body. This is why the overall health of every person largely depends on normal levels of ferritin. Ferritin is very important in the process of regulation of the levels of iron in the human body and it is also present in animals, plants, bacteria and even algae. The amount of ferritin in the human body is in direct proportion to the levels of iron in the body.When the levels get changed the whole body becomes imbalanced.

The main function of ferritin is proper storage of iron in the human body. Iron must be stored in its non toxic form in order to avoid the occurrence of numerous different types of medical conditions. Ferritin stores the iron without the risk of getting iron toxicity. As the ferritin gets accumulated in the cells of the reticuloenothelial system, the formation of hemosiderin takes place as well. When the iron is in its free form it may be good for the overall health of the human body because it tends to catalyze the production of the harmful free radicals. The production of the harmful free radicals is also known as the Fenton reaction. Ferritin is also in charge of stress response inside the human body. There are certain conditions which are known for causing the reduction of the levels of oxygen in the human body, and the ferritin triggers stress responses to such conditions by increasing its levels of concentration. It is because of this feature that ferritin is sometimes reffered to as an acute phase protein. Ferritin is also important for the functioning of the immune system, especially in cases when a person suffers from different types of infections or even cancers. Ferritin is an important factor in various mitochondrial functions as well. It is very efficient in aiding the feroxidase activity, iron ion binding, oxidoreductase activity, ferric iron binding and many others.

The normal range of serum ferritin levels for females is 13-150 ng/mL while the normal range for male persons is 30-400 ng/mL. The levels of serum ferritin can be elevated because of iron, hepatitis, inflammatory conditions, alcohol abuse and many other factors. These factors may also be triggered by a vast array of different types of causes.