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Changes of Iron Stores and Duodenal Transepithelial Iron Transfer During Regular Exercise in Rats

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Abstract

It is unclear whether regular exercise depletes body iron stores and how exercise regulates iron absorption. In this study, growing female Sprague–Dawley rats were fed a high-iron diet (300 mg iron/kg) and subjected to swimming for 1, 3, or 12 months. Their body weight, liver nonheme iron content (NHI), spleen NHI, blood hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, hematocrit (Hct), and kinetics of 59Fe transfer across isolated duodenal segments were then compared with sedentary controls. The main results were as follows: exercise for 1 month enhanced the transepithelial 59Fe transfer and increased liver NHI content and Hb concentration; exercise for 3 months inhibited transepithelial 59Fe transfer without affecting the liver and spleen NHI content, Hb concentration, and Hct; exercise for 12 months did not affect these parameters as compared with the corresponding sedentary controls; and the changes in transepithelial iron transfer were not associated with basolateral iron transfer. Our findings demonstrated that chronic, regular exercise in growing rats with a high dietary iron content does not deplete iron stores in the liver and spleen and may possibly enhance or inhibit duodenal iron absorption and even maintain duodenal iron absorption at the sedentary level, at least, in part depending on growth.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by research grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30270639 and 30570894), the Jiangsu Science and Technology Department, China (BS2003022), and the Innovative Research Groups Foundation of the Jiangsu University, China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, School of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

    Li-Long Che & Hua-Xi Xu

  2. School of Public Health and General Practice, Guangzhou Medical University, No. 195 Dongfeng Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510182, China

    De-Sheng Xiao

  3. Department of Pathology and Center of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Liwei Lu

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  1. Li-Long Che
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  2. De-Sheng Xiao
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  3. Hua-Xi Xu
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  4. Liwei Lu
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Correspondence to De-Sheng Xiao.

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Che, LL., Xiao, DS., Xu, HX. et al. Changes of Iron Stores and Duodenal Transepithelial Iron Transfer During Regular Exercise in Rats. Biol Trace Elem Res 143, 1044–1053 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-010-8919-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-010-8919-3

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