Flow cytometric estimation of 'labile iron pool' in human white blood cells reveals a positive association with ageing.
A small part of cellular iron, usually called 'labile iron pool' (LIP), is not securely stored and has the potential to catalyse the formation of highly reactive oxygen species. The present work estimated LIP levels in human white cells by using the analytical power of flow cytometry. The method relies essentially on already established principles but has the added value of monitoring LIP in different subpopulations of human blood cells concurrently in a single sample. Examination of 41 apparently healthy individuals revealed a positive correlation between LIP levels and the age of the donors (r=0.656, 0.572 and 0.702 for granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes, respectively, p<0.0001), indicating that cells of older individuals are prone to oxidations in conditions of oxidative stress. It is suggested that LIP estimation may represent a valuable tool in examinations searching for links between iron and a variety of oxidative stress-related pathological conditions.
Doulias
Paschalis-Thomas
PT
Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, University of Ioannina Medical School, Ioannina, Greece.
Vlachou
Chara
C
Boudouri
Christina
C
Kanavaros
Panagiotis
P
Siamopoulos
Kostas C
KC
Galaris
Dimitrios
D
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry; D012542:Scattering, Radiation
D007501:Iron; D010100:Oxygen