title: Nontransferrin-bound iron in plasma from hemochromatosis patients: effect of phlebotomy therapy.
abstract: Plasma from patients with iron overload resulting from idiopathic hemochromatosis contains nontransferrin-bound iron, measurable by the bleomycin, assay. During venesection therapy, the concentration of bleomycin iron declines in a way highly correlated with plasma ferritin concentrations. Even when patients had been venesected to give very low total plasma iron concentrations and high transferrin iron-binding capacity, bleomycin-detectable iron was still present at low concentrations. Bleomycin-detectable iron can stimulate damaging free radical reactions, and its persistence in plasma even after prolonged venesection might contribute to the tissue damage that results from iron overload.
authors: Department of Biochemistry, University of London, United Kingdom.
authors: O I
authors: OI
authors: Aruoma
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Bomford
authors: R J
authors: RJ
authors: Polson
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Halliwell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001761:Bleomycin; D001815:Bloodletting; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014168:Transferrin; D001761:Bleomycin; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron