Intestinal iron absorption in chickens : I. Experimental conditions.

Intestinal iron absorption in chickens was studied in vivo, using an intestinal perfusion technique in closed circuit.The results obtained show that iron absorption, at 30 min intervals, is a linear function of test solution iron concentrations of up to 776 μg Fe/20 mL. At higher concentrations, iron saturation occurs. The mucosal epithelial cells seem to be less a limiting factor than in rats. However, in chickens, the binding capacity of plasma might play an important role in the regulation of iron absorption.Iron absorption versus time was analyzed in 15, 30, 60, and 120 min periods for the iron concentration of 14 μg Fe/20 mL. Intestinal iron absorption showed a linear relationship between these two parameters.A period of perfusion of either 30 or 60 min by a solution of 14 μg Fe/20 mL appears suitable since no interference by a saturation process can then occur.