iron transport, the process whereby iron is carried from the intestinal mucosa to sites of use and storage. Iron binds with transferrin and shuttles to storage and utilization sites. Transferrin becomes attached to exogenous iron that enters through the intestinal villi or that reenters the plasma from the sinusoids of the spleen. The iron is then released to the normoblasts, and the transferrin is freed for additional transport functions that may involve iron stored as ferritin or hemosiderin. See also hemosiderosis, iron metabolism, transferrin.
