Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in the body. Low levels of ferritin can indicate iron deficiency, while high levels may indicate iron overload or inflammation.
Alanine is a substrate for the synthesis of glucose, which requires iron-containing enzymes. Altered ferritin levels could affect glucose production from alanine and alanine levels.
References
A. López-García, M. A. Gómez-Ambrosi, F. Casanova, et al.. Predictive Value of Serum Ferritin in Combination with Alanine Aminotransferase in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Prospective Study. Nutrients (2020). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7695258/
X. Liu, Y. Li, J. Li, et al.. Serum iron and risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and its histological severity: A prospective cohort study. Scientific Reports (2021). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-89991-x
S. K. Al-Habdan, A. A. Al-Mazyad, A. A. Al-Johani, et al.. Clinical and Biochemical Assessment of Liver Function Test and Its Correlation with Serum Ferritin in Thalassemia Major Patients. Cureus (2020). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7205361/
Carnitine is involved in fatty acid metabolism and energy production in mitochondria. Ferritin levels may impact carnitine utilization since iron is a cofactor for carnitine synthesis enzymes. Abnormal ferritin could thus alter carnitine levels.
References
B. R. Bieber, J. L. Lamar, and J. M. Saavedra. Inadequate iron availability as a possible cause of low serum carnitine. Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease (1989). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02093725
S. S. Ahmed, S. A. Al-Dharrab, and A. Al-Megrin. Serum carnitine levels in children with iron-deficiency anemia. Nutrition (2006). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16728358/
Glutamic acid is involved in the citric acid cycle and amino acid metabolism. Iron-containing enzymes like aconitase are critical for the citric acid cycle. Ferritin levels may thus influence glutamic acid utilization.
References
Zhang, W., Nassiri, F., Mason, W., Aldape, K.D., Zadeh, G., & Chen, E.X.. “Glutamine reliance in cell metabolism”. Experimental & Molecular Medicine (2020). https://www.nature.com/articles/s12276-020-00504-8
ScienceDirect Topics. “Krebs Cycle - an overview”. ScienceDirect (nan). https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/krebs-cycle
StatPearls. “Biochemistry, Citric Acid Cycle”. NCBI Bookshelf (nan). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541072/