Abstract
A four-fold increase in the iron content of normal subjects was detected in plasma after 5 hours of iron administration. Iron supplementation had a surprisingly erratic effect on four patients with hepatomegaly secondary to heart insufficiency, since the increase in the iron content in the plasma after iron-dextran administration was either within the control range or significantly lower, independently of the initial values. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content was 2.5±0.2 and 4.39±0.4 μM for control and hepatomegalic subjects, respectively. The TBARS basal level was increased by iron supplementation. The difference between TBARS content in hepatomegalic and control subjects, after 5 hours of iron administration, was increased by 50% as compared to the difference in the basal content of TBARS. α-Tocopherol (α-T) content in plasma from subjects with hepatomegaly showed a significant decrease (—-41%) as compared to control subjects. No significant difference over the basal level of α-T was measured after 5 hours of iron administration in any subject. The data presented here suggest that abnormal liver condition affects iron-dependent oxidative stress in plasma. Moreover, α-T does not seem to be the main antioxidant to control iron-dependent oxidative stress in plasma.