Studies on Iron Absorption Iron Absorption in Pancreas Damage

Abstract

There are renewed interests on the role of pancreas in iron absorption, and in particular, on the relationship between pancreatic disease and hemosiderosis.
Using ferrous chloride labeled with ⁵⁹Fe, the author has performed the experimental studies to investigate the relationship between external pancreas function and gastrointestinal iron absorption in dl-ethionine treated rats.
The result were summarized as follows;
1. Although the percentage of iron absorbed was decreased with ncreasing dosage, the total quantity was increased continuously in normal rats.
2. Using the fecal recovery method, the absorption rate of iron administered in stomach was higher in dl-ethionine treated rats than in normal rats.
3. It was found that iron absorption, in dl-ethionine treated rats as well as in normal rats, should occur mainly through the pathway of hemosiderin or so-called free iron, and that the pathway of ferritin, which had been regarded as main component of iron transport, did not concerned with the absorption of iron.
4. In dl-ethionine treated rats, iron metabolism of hemosiderin in the gastrointestinal mucosa was activated and iron absorption was increased. The turnover of hemosiderin was remarkable in contrast to that of ferritin.
5. In dl-ethionine treated rats, the absorbed iron from the gastrointestinal tract was largely incorporated into liver and poorly into red blood cells comparing with normal rats.
6. Using a in vivo loop of segmented gastrointestinal tract, iron was more absorbed from duodenum and jejunum in dl-ethionine treated rats than in normal rats.
7. It was revealed that pancreatin had been shown to inhibit intestinal iron absorption in normal and dl-ethionine treated rats and its inhibition was more remarkable in dl-ethionine treated rats.
8. The pH of the gastrointestinal contents did not show any significant difference between in dl-ethionine treated rats and in normal rats.
9. It was found that dl-ethionine treated rats showed the increase of serum iron, hemoglobin and hematocrit, and the increase of hepatic non-hemin iron.