IRON METABOLISM IN PATHOLOGICAL 



CONDITIONS 



A. VANNOTTI 



In order to studv the intermediate metabolism of iron in 

 normal and pathological erythropoiesis, we have followed the 

 distribution of radioactive iron, ^Te and ^^Fe in the tissues of 

 the rabbit. 



It was necessary to make an exact computation of radio- 

 active iron, and to study its distribution in the organs half 

 an hour after the injection of a solution of iron lactate (ferric 

 and ferrous lactate). 



A maior difficult v lav in the method of calcination of the 

 complete animal, which produces a large quantity of ashes 

 which absorb a great proportion of radioactivity: liver ash, 

 25 per cent; kidney ash, 21 per cent; muscle ash, 17 per cent; 

 bone ash, over 100 per cent. 



After many trials we have adopted the following method: 

 damp calcination of tissues by Kjeldahl's method, using 

 sulphuric and perchloric acid; precipitation of the excess sul- 

 phuric acid vv'ith titanium trichloride; acidification with 

 concentrated hydrochloric acid (pH=2); re-oxidization of 

 iron chloride with oxvs^enated water; extraction of iron with 

 ether; addition of hvdrochloric acid; distillation of this solu- 

 tion, and precipitation of iron in the form of ferric hydrate; 

 calcination. Iron oxide is measured with a Geiger Miiller 

 counter (very vreak absorption of radioactivity by the small 

 quantities of FcgOg). This method has enabled us to recover 

 80-90 per cent of injected radioactive iron. 



A preliminary examination carried out on a normal animal 

 showed that distribution of iron depends partly, during the 

 first hours after injection, on the valence and the quantity 

 of injected iron (200-2,000 /xg.). If large quantities of iron 



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