Cytotoxic aldehyde generation in heart following acute iron-loading

Although the mechanism of myocardial failure following acute iron poisoning is not known, excess iron-catalyzed free radical generation is conjectured to play a role. The effects of time (0 to 360 minutes) on total iron concentrations, glutathione peroxidase activity, and cytotoxic aldehyde production in heart of mice (B6D2F1, n = 65) were first investigated following acute iron-loading (20 mg iron dextran i.p./mouse). In a subsequent experiment, the effects of dose (0 to 80 mg iron dextran i.p./mouse, n = 75) on the aforementioned parameters were investigated. Our results show that the concentrations of cytotoxic aldehydes: (1) significantly differ over-time, with corresponding increases in total concentrations of iron (r = 0.93, p < 0.001); and (2) increase parallel to the total dose of iron administered (r = 0.95, p < 0.001). Furthermore, dose-and time-dependent alterations to glutathione peroxidase activity are observed, which is most likely due to an acute up-regulation of the enzyme as an endogenous protective response to increased free radical activity in the heart subsequent to iron-loading. While no single mechanism is likely to account for the complex pathophysiology of acute iron-induced heart failure, our results shown that iron-loading can result in significant free radical generation, as quantified by cytotoxic aldehydes, in heart tissue of mice. This is the first report on the effects of time and dose on cytotoxic aldehyde generation and glutathione peroxidase activity in heart of mice following acute iron-loading.