G. Rimbach et al., LIVER AND COLON OXIDANT STATUS IN GROWING RATS FED INCREASING LEVELS OF DIETARY IRON, Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology, 11(2), 1997, pp. 99-104
A study with four groups, each with 9 individually-housed, male albino
rats (initial average weight = 65 g), was undertaken to examine the e
ffect of increasing dietary iron levels on the oxidant status in liver
and colon of growing rats. The basal maize/soya diet contained 70 mg
iron per kg and was supplemented with 200 (group II), 500 (group III)
and 2000 (group IV) mg Fe/kg from iron (II) fumarate. Liver-Fe was clo
sely correlated (r=0.997) with dietary Fe intake. Feeding diets supple
mented with 500 and 2000 mg Fe/kg over 28 days resulted in significant
ly elevated TBA-RS in liver homogenates. Vitamin E in the liver was ab
out 20 % lower in group IV compared to the controls. Liver SOD, G6PDH
and CAT activities were not influenced by dietary iron, whereas liver
GSHPx was decreased in groups III and N. TBA-RS in the colon mucosa si
gnificantly increased only at a dietary iron supply of 2000 mg per kg.
Iron-enriched diets caused a moderate dose-dependent enhancement in t
he concentration of methane sulfinic acid in feces samples, which was
formed by the reaction of hydroxyl radicals and dimethyl sulfoxide. Li
ver was more sensitive than the colon mucosa to iron-induced lipid per
oxidation. Compared with the recommended iron requirements of growing
rats very high dietary iron levels were necessary to induce oxidative
stress.