On the iron content of human serum ferritin, especially in acute viral hepaptitis and iron overload.

A new method has been developed to measure ferritin iron in human serum. The ferritin is bound to antibodies to ferritin, which are coupled to Sepharose 4-B and separated from the serum by centrifugation. The iron is liberated from the bound ferritin and measured colorimetrically. The detection limit of this method proved to be approx. 15 ng Fe/ml serum. The serum ferritin iron concentration has been compared with the serum ferritin protein concentration. During liver disease with liver cell leakage the mean iron content of serum ferritin proved to be less than the mean iron content in the liver ferritin. The mean iron content in the liver ferritin was 16%, range 7%--32% (n = 8). The mean iron content in serum ferritin from the same patients was 5%, range 0%--14%. Also in two cases of haemosiderosis the serum ferritin iron content was low. It is suggested that ferritin loses part of its iron on passage from the tissue cells to the blood. In some cases of severe liver cell (or other cell) leakage the mean iron content in serum ferritin might be high, because then more or less complete ferritin molecules enter the blood.