Open AccessBiochemical and biophysical investigations of the ferrocene‐iron‐loaded rat
Author(s) -
WARD Roberta J.,
FLORENCE Anne L.,
BALDWIN Dianne,
ABIAKA Clifford,
ROLAND Francine,
RAMSEY Michael H.,
DICKSON Dominic P. E.,
PETERS Timothy J.,
CRICHTON Robert R.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
european journal of biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1432-1033
pISSN - 0014-2956
DOI - 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1991.tb16389.x
Subject(s) - ferritin , chemistry , ferrihydrite , hemosiderin , ferrocene , ceruloplasmin , magnesium , mössbauer spectroscopy , biochemistry , microsome , calcium , barium , nuclear chemistry , medicine , radiochemistry , inorganic chemistry , pathology , enzyme , crystallography , adsorption , electrochemistry , organic chemistry , electrode
Male Wistar rats fed with ferrocene had high hepatic iron loading (7.24 ± 1.97 mg Fe/g tissue) after 6 weeks, principally located in lysosomes, which was comparable to the levels and distribution determined in human haemochromatosis. The two iron‐storage proteins, ferritin and haemosiderin were isolated from the livers of the ferrocene‐loaded rats and their iron cores were investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma‐emission spectrometry. Ferrihydrite was the predominant form of iron present in both ferritin and haemosiderin, while haemosiderin contained higher amounts of phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and barium, then either normal or ferrocene‐loaded ferritin. Free‐radical‐mediated damage in the iron‐loaded livers was inferred by the significant depletion of α‐tocopherol in both the livers and subcellular hepatic lysosomal fraction, which inversely correlated with the increasing iron content ( r =–0.61; P < 0.05) and was associated with increased fragility of the lysosomal membranes.