Biliary excretion of iron and ferritin in idiopathic hemochromatosis
The role of biliary excretion of iron and ferritin in iron overload was studied and evaluated. Ten patients with idiopathic hemochromatosis and two groups of controls (14 gallstone patients and 16 healthy subjects) were included. Liver tissue (obtained by percutaneous or operative biopsy) was investigated with light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy in combination with x-ray microanalysis. Fasting bile samples were obtained through duodenal aspiration or at cholecystectomy. Iron was determined in liver tissue and bile using atomic absorption spectroscopy, and ferritin was determined in serum and bile with a radioimmunoassay technique. All patients with hemochromatosis had iron-positive staining as seen in light microscopy. Electron microscopy showed iron-containing proteins in the lysosomes and cytosol of liver parenchymal cells, and this observation was supported by x-ray microanalysis. Hepatic iron concentration was increased about eightfold in the patients with hemochromatosis (p less than 0.001). Biliary iron concentration, expressed per millimole of bile acid, was increased about twofold (p less than 0.05) and biliary ferritin concentration about fivefold (p less than 0.001) in hemochromatosis. Four of the patients with hemochromatosis were reexamined after completed treatment with venesection; this resulted in normalized biliary concentrations of iron and ferritin. We conclude that biliary secretion of ferritin occurs in humans and that both iron and ferritin excretion are enhanced in hepatic iron overload. The apparently limited capacity of biliary iron excretion may be of importance for the hepatic iron accumulation in hemochromatosis.
- Research Organization:
- Huddinge Univ. Hospital (Sweden)
- OSTI ID:
- 6075255
- Journal Information:
- Gastroenterology; (United States), Vol. 96:6
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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FERRITIN
METABOLISM
IRON
METABOLIC DISEASES
PATHOGENESIS
ABSORPTION SPECTRA
BILE
ELECTRON MICROPROBE ANALYSIS
EXCRETION
LIVER
MAN
PATIENTS
RADIOIMMUNOASSAY
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CLEARANCE
COMPLEXES
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISEASES
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
GLANDS
IMMUNOASSAY
IMMUNOLOGY
IRON COMPLEXES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
METALLOPROTEINS
METALS
MICROANALYSIS
MICROSCOPY
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PRIMATES
PROTEINS
RADIOASSAY
RADIOIMMUNOLOGY
SPECTRA
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPLEXES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VERTEBRATES
550901* - Pathology- Tracer Techniques