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Iron absorption in the iron-deficient rat

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Summary

Iron absorption in the iron-deficient rat was compared with that in the normal rat to better understand the regulation of this dynamic process. It was found that: Iron uptake by the iron-deficient intestinal mucosa was prolonged as a result of slower gastric release, particularly when larger doses of iron were employed. The increased mucosal uptake of ionized iron was not the result of increased adsorption, but instead appeared related to a metabolically active uptake process, whereas the increased mucosal uptake of transferrin iron was associated with increased numbers of mucosal cell membrane transferrin receptors. Mucosal ferritin acted as an iron storage protein, but its iron uptake did not explain the lower iron absorption in the normal rat. Iron loading the mucosal cell (by presenting a large iron dose to the intestinal lumen) decreased absorption for 3 to 4 days. Iron loading of the mucosal cell from circulating plasma transferrin was proportionate to the plasma iron concentration. Mucosal iron content was the composite of iron loading from the lumen and loading from plasma transferrin versus release of iron into the body. These studies imply that an enhanced uptake-throughput mechanism causes the increased iron absorption in the iron-deficient rat. Results were consistent with the existence of a regulating mechanism for iron absorption that responds to change in mucosal cell iron, which is best reflected by mucosal ferritin.

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  1. H. A. Huebers

    Present address: , Hauptstrasse 74, D-6601, Klarenthal, Federal Republic of Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, 77030, Houston, TX, USA

    H. A. Huebers, E. Csiba, B. Josephson & C. A. Finch

  2. Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of Washington, 98195, Seattle, WA, USA

    H. A. Huebers

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  1. H. A. Huebers
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  2. E. Csiba
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  3. B. Josephson
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  4. C. A. Finch
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Additional information

This work was supported by NIH Grant HL 06242. This work is in part a publication of the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas. This project has been funded in part with federal funds from the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service under Cooperative Agreement number 58-7MN1-6-100. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the US Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the US Government

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Huebers, H.A., Csiba, E., Josephson, B. et al. Iron absorption in the iron-deficient rat. Blut 60, 345–351 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01737850

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