ABSTRACT
Iron is an important trace element in human body. It is involved in heme synthesis, myelin sheath formation, mitochondrial respiratory chain electron transfer, DNA replication, repair，epigenetic control and so on. In order to maintain iron homeostasis, the body maintains iron balance by regulating the absorption of dietary iron by intestinal cells, recovery of iron by macrophages and storage of iron in liver cells. These iron metabolism regulation processes involve sophisticated cellular and molecular regulatory systems. When iron homeostasis is broken, both iron deficiency and iron overload will result in damage to the body. In this review, we review the research progress on the absorption, distribution and recovery of iron, the cellular and molecular regulatory mechanisms of iron metabolism and the consequences of iron homeostasis imbalance.