Intestinal Iron Absorption in Suckling Rats
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2009
Abstract
Using intragastric test doses of 59Fe labelled inorganic iron to measure iron absorption in baby rats the mean percentage absorption exceeded 85 % up to 20 days of age but fell sharply afterwards. Similar results were obtained with milk labelled with 59Fe in vivo or in vitro. Sucklings injected with cortisone acetate during the second week of life absorbed less iron than littermate control animals but hormone injection during the third week of life did not significantly reduce the absorption rate. Sucklings weaned prematurely absorbed less iron than did control animals. Iron dextran injection during either the second or third week of life was also followed by reduced iron absorption as was hypertransfusion with red blood cells. The in vivo uptake of radio-iron from a test dose was greatest in the upper duodenal and lowest in the lower ileal gut segments with a gradient in segments in between and this pattern was identical at 15 and 25 days of age. © 1971 S. Karger AG, Basel.
Keywords
Animal, Animals, Newborn, Blood Transfusion, Body Weight, Cortisone, Duodenum, Ileum, Intestinal Absorption, Intestine, Small, Iron, Iron Isotopes, Jejunum, Milk, Rats, Reticulocytes, Stomach
Divisions
fac_med
Publication Title
Neonatology
Volume
17
Issue
3-4
Publisher
Karger Publishers