The Role of Ascorbic Acid in the Metabolism of Storage Iron

Abstract

S ummary . The role of ascorbic acid in the metabolism of storage iron was investigated in guinea‐pigs. Ascorbic acid deprivation increased the total non‐haem iron concentration in the spleen and reduced it in the liver, and in both organs ferritin was diminished and haemosiderin increased. Replacing the ascorbic acid restored the normal distribution of iron between the two storage compounds, and in the spleen the total storage iron concentration returned to control levels within 24 hr. Evidence was obtained in experiments with 59 Fe that the accumulation of iron in the spleen was due to a diminished release from reticulo‐endothelial cells. When 59 Fe‐labelled haemoglobin in denatured red cells was injected, release of the isotope was inhibited in scorbutic animals. In contrast, after injecting labelled transferrin, 59 Fe in the liver parenchymal cells was released to a greater extent than in normals. These observations may explain certain ferrokinetic peculiarities in patients with scurvy, and possibly also the predominantly reticulo‐endothelial localization of the iron in Bantu subjects with siderosis.