Sulfur amino acids metabolism in iron-deficient rats

Abstract

The effect of iron deficiency on the sulfur amino acids metabolim was investigated. Animals were fed on the iron-deficient diet for 5 weeks. Iron-deficient animals exhibited hematological anemic status. And hepatic iron contents also remarkably decreased.

The hepatic cysteine dioxygenase activity of iron-deficient rats was markedly decreased with concomitant decrease of hepatic taurine contents. On the other hand, no significant change was observed in the hepatic contents of cysteine and glutathione in iron-deficient rats. The urinary taurine excretion of iron-deficient rats, on the contrary, was much higher than that of control.

These results suggest that the tissue iron was diminished in iron-deficient rats to limit the enzyme biosynthesis by iron shortage. The high urinary taurine excretion may be due, at least in part, to the enhanced release of taurine from tissue.