Age-dependent and gender-specific changes in mouse tissue iron by strain.

Iron is necessary for life but also a potent pro-oxidant implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases. We sought to determine if iron levels change with age and by sex in various tissues from several commonly studied mouse strains. Brain, liver, heart, retina, and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)/choroid were dissected from male and female mice of young adult (2-6 month old) and aged (16-19 month old) C57BL/6, DBA/2J, and BALB/c mice. Iron was quantified through a chromagen-based spectrophotometric method or through atomic absorption spectrophotometry for increased sensitivity. Brain, liver, and heart iron increased by 30-70% in aged vs. young adult groups of all strains, while retina and RPE/choroid iron had variable age-related changes. Significant gender differences were observed in BALB/c and DBA/2J strains. Males had as much as 2- to 3-fold more brain, RPE/choroid, and retinal iron, while females had as much as 2- to 3-fold more liver iron. There was no significant gender difference observed in heart iron. The different profiles of change between gender and among strains suggest that hormones and genetics influence iron regulation with aging. Future manipulation of iron levels in mice will test the role of iron in aging and disease, and the data reported herein will be essential in directing such manipulations.