Studies on the rat liver following iron overload. 1. Fine structural appearance.

Iron overload of the rat liver following parenteral administration of Jectofer (an iron sorbitol citric acid complex) was studied in the electron microscope. Abundant ferritin-like granules were present in parenchymal and Kupffer cells, partly free in the cell sap and partly concentrated in 3 types of membrane-bound organelles, with characteristic appearances. In the parenchymal cells these organelles consisted of lysosome-like structures, apparent autophagic vacuoles, and vacuoles lacking features linking them to specific cytoplasmic elements. Organelle-bound ferritinlike granules in the Kupffer cells were demonstrated in lysosomelike structures, in phagocytic vacuoles, and in tubular and vacuolar elements referred to as "type 1" and "type 2" bodies. No ferritin-like granules were observed in other cell types than parenchymal and Kupffer cells.