title: Does hepatomegaly alter iron-dependent oxidative effects in human plasma?
abstract: A four-fold increase in the iron content of normal subjects was detected in plasma after 5 hours of iron administration. Iron supplementation had a surprisingly erratic effect on four patients with hepatomegaly secondary to heart insufficiency, since the increase in the iron content in the plasma after iron-dextran administration was either within the control range or significantly lower, independently of the initial values. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content was 2.5 +/- 0.2 and 4.3 +/- 0.4 microM for control and hepatomegalic subjects, respectively. The TBARS basal level was increased by iron supplementation. The difference between TBARS content in hepatomegalic and control subjects, after 5 hours of iron administration, was increased by 50% as compared to the difference in the basal content of TBARS. alpha-Tocopherol (alpha-T) content in plasma from subjects with hepatomegaly showed a significant decrease (-41%) as compared to control subjects. No significant difference over the basal level of alpha-T was measured after 5 hours of iron administration in any subject. The data presented here suggest that abnormal liver condition affects iron-dependent oxidative stress in plasma. Moreover, alpha-T does not seem to be the main antioxidant to control iron-dependent oxidative stress in plasma.
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry-PRALIB, School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galleano
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lemberg
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Puntarulo
mesh_terms: D019343:Citric Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006529:Hepatomegaly / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; C008170:citric acid, iron, sorbitol drug combination; D019343:Citric Acid; D013012:Sorbitol