Iron uptake by Chang cells from transferrin, nitriloacetate and citrate complexes: the effects of iron-loading and chelation with desferrioxamine.

Iron uptake by Chang liver cells in culture is about thirty times as great when ferric nitriloacetate is used as a donor as when iron-transferrin is used. Iron uptake from ferric citrate is no greater than from iron-transferrin. Most of the intracellular iron derived from transferrin is found in the supernatant after 20 000 x g centrifugation of the cell homogenate for 40 min: about half of this is in the form of ferritin. Iron derived from ferric nitriloacetate is found largely in the membranous pellet after centrifugation and very little of this is in the form of ferritin. Iron incorporated in cytosol ferritin is easily available for chelation by desferrioxamine and this process is facilitated by ascorbic acid. Membrane-bound iron is less available for chelation. This tissue culture model forms a convenient basis for the study of iron overlead and iron chelation.