Figure 7.

Oral Administration of FA-GDLVs Targeted the Upper GI Tract and Time Course of Iron Loading in Hepc^−/− Mice

Six-week-old male mice were administered PBS, fluorescent-tagged GDLVs, or fluorescent-tagged FA-GDLVs by oral intragastric gavage. The proximal small bowel was imaged 4, 8, and 12 h after administration (the duodenum is at the top of the pictures) (A). Liver non-heme iron content was measured in both sexes of WT and Hepc^−/− mice at different ages (2–9 weeks) (B). Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and are presented as boxplots for n = 4–5 mice/group. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ****p < 0.0001, indicating differences as compared with WT mice at each age. FA, folic acid.