SOME FACTORS REGULATING THE UTILIZATION OF SPLENIC IRON

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Abstract
Observations on 23 rats on a uniform diet, killed at various intervals, showed that the relative amount of splenic Fe, and the rate of withdrawal, decrease with age. Analysis of the relation of body weight, splenic weight, absolute amount of Fe present, and mgm. Fe per gm. spleen in 25 rats on an Fe-low, Cu-low diet showed no outstanding relationships, except the coefficient of correlation of the Fe: splenic weight ratio to body weight, which is [long dash] 0.82 [plus or minus] 0.045. Small amounts of Cu added to an Fe-low diet further depleted the splenic reserve Fe. Cu added to a diet adequate in Fe increased the splenic Fe; Fe alone did not augment the splenic reserve. It is suggested that Cu may play an important part in the transformation of hemosiderin into a form utilizable by the body, making the Fe reserve available for Hb building. When Fe is fed with Cu, the Fe can be directly utilized in Hb formation, obviating the necessity of drawing on the splenic Fe reserve, which, meanwhile, is constantly being augmented by the normal destruction of eryth-rocytes.

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