Figure 3. ⁵⁸Fe transport across the placenta.

(A) WT C57BL/6 female mice were maintained on a standard chow diet or placed on an iron-deficient diet 2 weeks prior to mating and were maintained on an iron-deficient diet throughout gestation. At E17.5, the dams received a single i.v. injection of ⁵⁸Fe-Tf. The dams were sacrificed 6 hours post injection (p.i.), and placental and embryonic tissues were collected and analyzed using ICP-MS. (B) Placental TFR1 and FPN protein expression was assessed by Western blotting, and quantitation of protein expression relative to β-actin was performed. Total ⁵⁸Fe content in (C) placentas and (D) fetal livers. Total ⁵⁶Fe content in (E) placentas and (F) fetal livers. (B–F) Statistical analysis was performed by 2-tailed Student’s t test for normally distributed values and otherwise by Mann-Whitney U rank-sum test (denoted by an asterisk after the P value). The numbers of animals are indicated in the x axes of the box and whisker plots.