BIOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT IRON(III) OXYHYDROXY POLYMERS - MOSSBAUER SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF FERRITIN AND HEMOSIDERIN IN PANCREAS TISSUE OF BETA-THALASSEMIA HEMOGLOBIN-E DISEASE

Mossbauer spectra of pancreas tissue from beta-thalassemia/hemoglobin E patients as well as purified ferritin and crude hemosiderin isolated from this tissue were recorded. Mossbauer spectroscopy of the ferriti n showed that it contains iron cores based on the ferrihydrite (5Fe(2) O(3) . 9H(2)O) structure consistent with previously reported electron diffraction data [T.G. St. Pierre, K.C. Tran, J. Webb, D.J. Macey, B.R . Heywood, N.H. Sparks, V.J. Wade, S. Mann and P. Pootrakul, Biol. Met als, 4 (1991) 162]. Cores in the crude hemosiderin are mainly of the f errihydrite type but a significant amount have a defect goethite (alph a-FeOOH) structure. These data are interpreted in terms of the long-te rm deposition of iron in the pancreas in this iron overload pathology.