IRON AND THE LIVER - SUBCELLULAR-DISTRIBUTION OF IRON AND DECREASED MICROSOMAL CYTOCHROME-P-450 IN LIVERS OF IRON-LOADED RATS

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 103  (1) , 21-29
Abstract
To understand better the intracellular Fe distribution and metabolic consequences of chronic hepatic Fe overload, rats were given large doses of Fe dextran of ferric citrate i.p. They accumulated large quantities of Fe within Kupffer cells and hepatocytes. The relative subcellular Fe distributions were similar in controls and Fe-loaded rats, despite a 10- to 20-fold difference in hepatic Fe concentration. EM of whole liver and subcellular particulate fractions suggested that Fe was present in highest concentration in lysosomes, which were rendered more labile by its presence. Quantitative Fe determinations on all subcellular fractions, obtained by 2 preparative methods, showed that most of the Fe was present in the soluble fraction. The amount of Fe in the microsomal fraction varied, depending on the techniques used for preparation of this fraction. Cytochrome P-450 and total heme concentrations were decreased 40%-50% in microsomes isolated from Fe-loaded livers.