Quantum dots-hemin: Preparation and application in the absorption of heme iron

QDs-hemin were successfully prepared with uniform diameters, stability in biological system and resistance to photobleaching. The application of QDs-hemin in iron absorption showed that QDs-hemin were absorbed as an intact conjugate and heme was absorbed as a metalloporphyrin in real time, which overcame the limit of traditional isotopic tracing. Further investigations in vivo and in vitro found that HCP1-mediated iron uptake is predominant over the endocytosis pathway and the absorbed heme iron was degraded in lysosomes. This will shed lights on the research progress of heme iron absorption and aid the design of targeted heme iron supplements in the future.194