Manifestation of iron deficiency at various levels of dietary iron intake.
The purpose of this study was to determine the interrelationships between iron stores, serum iron, hemoglobin, myoglobin, and cytochrome c under conditions of iron deficiency that did not interfere with normal growth. Rats were given diets containing from 7 to 500 mg iron per kilogram of diet during a period of 3 weeks of rapid growth between weaning at 21 days and approaching sexual maturity at 42 days. We found that the level of iron intake required for a maximum concentration of hemoglobin was similar to that which results in a maximum level of tissue cytochrome c. The severity of iron deficiency anemia was proportionally similar to the degree of depletion of muscle cytochrome c at all levels of iron intake below 25 mg/kg diet. The results indicate that even the mildest degree of nutritional iron deficiency anemia also affected tissue cytochrome c and could impair cytochrome-dependent mitochondrial function.
D000747:Anemia, Hypochromic / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats
D003574:Cytochrome c Group; D006454:Hemoglobins; D007501:Iron