Iron release from isolated hepatocytes.

The isolated hepatocyte suspension was evaluated as an experimental procedure for investigating liver iron metabolism. Following prelabelling in vivo with transferrin-59Fe, isolated hepatocytes released radioactive iron in vitro by a temperature dependent process, without change in cell viability. Iron mobilization was increased by serum, apotransferrin and a range of iron chelators, of which the most effective were citrate, desferrioxamine and the ionophore A 23187. The rate of iron release was inversely related to oxygen levels, indicating that a ferric-ferrous reduction was involved in iron mobilization. The uncoupler TTFB, DTPA, and hypercapnia caused a reduction in iron release, but the metabolites cysteine, NADH and ascorbic acid had no effect. It was concluded that isolated hepatocytes are a useful experimental model for studying iron metabolism and for further evaluation of iron chelators.