Effect of D-penicillamine on iron uptake by isolated rat hepatocytes.

D-penicillamine (beta,beta-dimethylcysteine) promotes the incorporation of iron into isolated rat hepatocytes. The mechanism for doing this remains unknown. No differences in iron distribution between control and treated cells has been observed. Ferritin appears as the main destination of internalized iron in both cases. Therefore, increasing iron storage may appear as a side effect of the use of D-penicillamine as a therapeutic agent for several diseases.