ferritin

noun

fer·​ri·​tin ˈfer-ə-tən 

: a crystalline iron-containing protein that functions in the storage of iron and is found especially in the liver and spleen

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Blood-clotting rates seem to go beyond those often seen in other storm conditions, but ferritin levels don’t rise to quite the same sky-high levels. —Amber Dance, Discover Magazine, 14 Apr. 2020

To engineer Magneto, researchers used a viral vector to implant a gene that produces ferritin, a protein that stores iron in the body, into the TRPV4 gene, which encodes a calcium protein that helps relay messages in the brain. —Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2016

The nanoparticle is different too; it is based on a ferritin (a protein that stores iron) shell derived from Helicobacter pylori bacteria. —Wired, 28 July 2022

The outcome of interest was ferritin, a measure of iron storage. —Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 8 July 2020

The process starts when compounds in the tobacco products make contact with the corneal cells, which leads ferritin inside the cells to start breaking down and releasing stored iron, Otsu explains. —Nikk Ogasa, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2021

The results were unconvincing: if anything, the non-responders had slightly higher baseline ferritin and lower C-reactive protein than the responders. —Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 11 Sep. 2020

Ferritin is a cell protein that stores iron and enables the body to use iron when needed, so a ferritin test indirectly measures blood iron levels, according to Mount Sinai Health System. —Kristen Rogers, CNN, 2 May 2022

Incorporating foods high in iron such as red meat, leafy greens, lentils and even dark chocolate are beneficial to raising ferritin levels in the blood. —Cammy Garvelink, Outside Online, 23 Feb. 2021

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Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary, alteration of ferratin, iron-containing protein, from Latin ferratus bound with iron (from ferrum) + International Scientific Vocabulary -in

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

ferritin

noun

fer·​ri·​tin ˈfer-ət-ən 

: a crystalline iron-containing protein that functions in the storage of iron and is found especially in the liver and spleen compare hemosiderin