Affiliations: Dipartimento di Biologia Sperimentale, Sezione di
Patologia Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Cittadella
Universitaria SS 554, 09042 Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy | Dipartimento di Citomorfologia, Università
degli Studi di Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria SS 554, 09042 Monserrato,
Cagliari, Italy
Abstract: Intraperitoneal injection of the iron chelate
ferric-nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) induces in rodents renal and hepatic
suffering, associated with oxidative damage. We investigated the oxidation
pattern in plasma of treated rats in relation to liver and kidney, monitoring
the variation of the lipid components more susceptible to oxidation,
unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and α-tocopherol, as biomarkers of the
oxidative damage. A sublethal dose of Fe-NTA induced a strong and extremely
significant decrease of UFA levels at 1 h after injection in the plasma
compartment and at 3 h in the kidney, with reductions up to 40–50% of the
control values, together with an increase of conjugated dienes fatty acids
hydroperoxides and a consumption of α-tocopherol. The same modifications
were observed in the liver, but to a lesser extent. Histological observation
proved that biochemical changes in the lipid fraction were a direct consequence
of an ongoing membrane lipid peroxidation process. Our data show that oxidative
damage to the lipid fraction is initially evident in the plasma compartment,
where Fe-NTA toxicity is assumed to be caused by the elevation of serum free
iron concentration, and proceeds with different speed and severity in the
kidney and liver.
