Iron and the liver: acute effects of iron-loading on hepatic heme synthesis of rats. Role of decreased activity of 5-aminolevulinate dehydrase.

Acute iron loading of rats, by intraperitoneal administration of iron-dextran (500 mg Fe/kg body wt 18-20 h before killing) decreased by 30% the rate of conversion of 5-amino-[14C]levulinate ([14C]ALA) into heme as measured with a recently described procedure for liver homogenates (1981. Biochem. J. 198: 595-604). The decrease in conversion of labeled ALA into heme caused by iron loading was shown to be due to a 70-80% decrease in activity of ALA dehydrase. The decrease in activity of ALA dehydrase caused by iron loading was not associated with a decrease in hepatic concentrations of GSH, nor could it be reversed by addition of dithiothreitol, Zn2+ or chelators of Fe2+ and Fe3+. Addition of FeSO4, ferric citrate, or ferritin to homogenates of control liver had no effect of activity of ALA dehydrase. The decrease in activity of ALA dehydrase, caused by iron-dextran, was mirrored by a reciprocal increase in ALA synthase. Iron-dextran potentiated the induction of ALA synthase by allylisopropylacetamide. However, this potentiation could be dissociated from the decrease in ALA dehydrase caused by iron loading.