Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1963 Mar;16(2):101–107. doi: 10.1136/jcp.16.2.101

Iron storage in human disease

Fractionation of hepatic and splenic iron into ferritin and haemosiderin with histochemical correlations

E H Morgan 1,2, M N I Walters 1,2
PMCID: PMC480506  PMID: 16811000

Abstract

The hepatic and splenic storage iron, including the relative distribution between ferritin and haemosiderin, was estimated in 130 necropsies including normal accident cases and cases with a variety of diseases. The storage iron was also examined histochemically. It was found that in the normal subjects, on the average, approximately 400 mg. of iron was stored in these two organs, somewhat more than half being present as ferritin iron. Increased storage iron was found in some cases of infection, malignancy, and in blood and hepatic diseases, while low stores were present in other cases with malignancy and in polycythaemia vera. Although there was a slight tendency in infections and malignant diseases for more of the storage iron to be present as haemosiderin than normally, the most important factor affecting the distribution of iron between ferritin and haemosiderin was the total storage iron concentration. With total storage iron less than 500 μg. per gram of tissue, more iron was stored as ferritin than haemosiderin, and with values above 1,000 μg. per gram more was stored as haemosiderin. The behaviour of storage iron in this respect was very similar both in the liver and in the spleen. Although the histological and chemical estimates of the storage iron showed a general agreement there was much variation and histological examination of the tissues gave only a very approximate idea of the storage iron levels.

Full text

PDF
107

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BEUTLER E., ROBSON M. J., BUTTENWIESER E. A comparison of the plasma iron, iron-binding capacity, sternal marrow iron and other methods in the clinical evaluation of iron, stores. Ann Intern Med. 1958 Jan;48(1):60–82. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-48-1-60. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bradlow B. A., Dunn J. A., Higginson J. The Effect of Cirrhosis on Iron Storage. Am J Pathol. 1961 Aug;39(2):221–237. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brückmann G., Zondek S. G. Iron, copper and manganese in human organs at various ages. Biochem J. 1939 Nov;33(11):1845–1857. doi: 10.1042/bj0331845. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DRABKIN D. L. Metabolism of the hemin chromoproteins. Physiol Rev. 1951 Oct;31(4):345–431. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1951.31.4.345. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. EMERY J. L., HILTON D. Correlation between iron staining of infant livers and amount of iron estimated chemically. Stain Technol. 1960 Nov;35:339–342. doi: 10.3109/10520296009114757. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. GABRIO B. W., SHODEN A., FINCH C. A. Quantitative fractionation of tissue ferritin and hemosiderin. J Biol Chem. 1953 Oct;204(2):815–821. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HASKINS D., STEVENS A. R., Jr, FINCH S., FINCH C. A. Iron metabolism; iron stores in man as measured by phlebotomy. J Clin Invest. 1952 Jun;31(6):543–547. doi: 10.1172/JCI102639. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. HOFFBAUER F. W. Primary biliary cirrhosis. Observations on the natural course of the disease in 25 women. Am J Dig Dis. 1960 Apr;5:348–383. doi: 10.1007/BF02232356. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. KALDOR I. Studies on intermediary iron metabolism. V. The measurement of non-haemoglobin tissue iron. Aust J Exp Biol Med Sci. 1954 Dec;32(6):795–799. doi: 10.1038/icb.1954.82. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. KERR L. M. A method for the determination of non-haem iron in bone marrow. Biochem J. 1957 Dec;67(4):627–630. doi: 10.1042/bj0670627. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. KONITZER K. Studien über den Einsenwechsel. II. Tierexperimentelle Untersuchungen über die Relation des Ferritin- und Hämosiderineisens im Lebergewebe. Z Gesamte Inn Med. 1957 Apr 1;12(7):294–298. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. MORGAN E. H. Iron storage and transport after administration of viable erythrocytes to the albino rat. Aust J Exp Biol Med Sci. 1961 Aug;39:361–369. doi: 10.1038/icb.1961.35. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. RICHTER G. W. Electron microscopy of hemosiderin; presence of ferritin and occurrence of crystalline lattices in hemosiderin deposits. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1958 Jan 25;4(1):55–58. doi: 10.1083/jcb.4.1.55. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. SHODEN A., GABRIO B. W., FINCH C. A. The relationship between ferritin and hemosiderin in rabbits and man. J Biol Chem. 1953 Oct;204(2):823–830. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. SHODEN A., STURGEON P. Iron storage. I. The influence of time on the redistribution of excess storage iron. Am J Pathol. 1958 Nov-Dec;34(6):1139–1147. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. SMITH N. J., ROSELLO S., SAY M. B., YEYA K. Iron storage in the first five years of life. Pediatrics. 1955 Aug;16(2):166–173. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. TISDALE W. A. Parenchymal siderosis in patients with cirrhosis after portasystemic-shunt surgery. N Engl J Med. 1961 Nov 9;265:928–932. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196111092651903. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. TUTTLE S. G., FIGUEROA W. G., GROSSMAN M. I. Development of hemochromatosis in a patient with Laennec's cirrhosis. Am J Med. 1959 Apr;26(4):655–658. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(59)90287-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Tompsett S. L. The copper and "inorganic" iron contents of human tissues. Biochem J. 1935 Feb;29(2):480–486. doi: 10.1042/bj0290480. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. WHITBY L. The dynamics of haemopoiesis. Br Med J. 1954 Jun 5;1(4874):1279–1284. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.4874.1279. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. WOEHLER F., OTTE W., FUELGRAFF M. [On the pathology of storage iron. I. Ferritin and hemosiderin content of human organs in liver, kidney and circulatory diseases]. Acta Haematol. 1961 Jun;25:337–354. doi: 10.1159/000206551. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. WOEHLER F. On the nature of hemosiderin. Acta Haematol. 1960 Jun;23:342–375. doi: 10.1159/000206257. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. WOEHLER F., ZOLL E. [Iron storage fractions of ferritin and hemosiderin in protein deficiency, iron overloading and hemolysis in animal experiment]. Folia Haematol (Frankf) 1960 Mar;4:168–179. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES