STUDIES ON THE IRON METABOLISM BY THE USE OF RADIOACTIVE IRON

ESPECIALLY ON NON-HEMIN IRON METABOLISM

Abstract

(I) Experimental method.
1) Viviperfusion: rabbits and dogs were viviperfused for 30-60 minutes.
2) Digestion: samples were wet ashed in Kjeldahl's flasks.
3) Electroplating: Vosburgh's method.
4) Fractionation of non-hemin iron: Yoneyama's method.
5) Extraction of non-hemin iron: Brueckmann's method.
6) Determination of serum iron: Burch's method.
7) Determination of radioactivity: by Geiger Müller counter.
8) Histological iron-staining: by the turnbull-blue reaction method.
(II) Conclusions
1) For the studies on the physiological iron-metabolism, amount of intravenously injected iron should be within the limit of the iron-binding capacity of serum.
2) Intravenously administered radioiron is taken most intensively by the bono-marrow and next by the liver; in the bone-marrow it is mainly used for the synthesis of hemoglobin, while in the liver it is deposited as non-hemin iron.
3) When animals are bled the deposited radioiron is mobilized from liver, bone-marrow and other organs for the synthesis of hemoglobin. In such condition hemosiderin seems to be utilizated for the synthesis of hemoglobin.
4) In the hemorrhagic iron deficient anemia the uptake of radioiron by the bone-marrow is increased, but the uptake by the liver is decreased in compaired with normal animals. On the other hand, in the acute inflammation and X-ray irradiated anemia it was decreased in the bone-marrow.
5) The iron deposition following intravenous injection of red cells ragged with radioiron is mainly seen in the spleen. In such experiment radioiron is found in the ferritin, therefore iron of ferritin seems to be drived from hemoglobin iron too.