Blood, 1969, Vol. 33, No. 6, pp. 909-917.
© 1969 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Increased Formation of Early-Labeled
Bilirubin in Rats with Iron Deficiency Anemia:
Evidence for Ineffective Erythropoiesis
STEPHEN H. ROBINSON 1
1 Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School,
Boston, Mass.
The production of early-labeled bilirubin and erythrocyte hemoglobin heme
was measured in rats with iron deficiency anemia, using glycine-2-14C as
precursor. The erythropoietic component of the early pigment fraction was
significantly augmented and the formation of labeled hemoglobin depressed in
the anemic animals, findings characteristic of ineffective erythropoiesis. By
contrast, the hepatic component of early-labeled bilirubin was substantially
enlarged during the acute response to iron therapy. These experiments illustrate that overproduction of bilirubin may originate from both erythropoietic
and hepatic sources of the early-labeled fraction of bile pigment, as well as
from hemolysis of circulating red blood cells.
Submitted on November 14, 1968
Accepted on January 21, 1969
