Iron chelation and tumor cell calcium homeostasis.

The effects of iron chelation on calcium homeostasis of Ehrlich carcinoma cells were studied using 59Fe-ferric lactate and 45CaCl2. Desferrioxamine action on bound iron is characterized by the presence of an insoluble fraction located deep in the cell membrane and another soluble fraction on the cell surface. The competitive binding by albumin suggests that the iron is bound by protein containing molecular structures of the cell. The modification of cellular calcium homeostasis induced by ferric lactate, which is a phenomenon inherent in cell injury, is not caused by lipid peroxidation. The role of iron-induced cellular calcium homeostasis in carcinogenesis is discussed.