Low-molecular-mass iron complexes in blood plasma of iron-deficient pigs do not originate directly from nutrient iron.

ABSTRACT: Nutrient iron entering the blood binds transferrin (TFN)^d, which delivers iron to cells in the body. In healthy individuals, ∼30% of TFN is iron-bound while the remainder is unbound (apo-TFN). TFN saturates the plasma of individuals with iron-overload diseases such as hereditary hemochromatosis, prompting release of a poorly-defined low-molecular-mass (LMM) iron species called non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI). An experiment was devised to directly detect NTBI in plasma of iron-deficient pigs and to assess the role of the liver which is known to bind NTBI. Catheters were surgically installed in the portal vein (PV) and either the caudal vena cava or the cranial vena cava. After the animals recovered, ⁵⁷Fe II ascorbate was injected into the stomach via a feeding tube.

SUBMITTER: Dziuba N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6854301 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature