Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026
Measurement of Tissue Non-Heme Iron Content using a Bathophenanthroline-Based Colorimetric Assay
Published on: January 31, 2022
Methods for noninvasive measurement of tissue iron in Cooley's anemia
Sujit Sheth1, Haiying Tang, Jens H Jensen
1Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Harkness Pavilion, Room HP5, 180 Fort Washington Avenue, New York, NY 10032, USA. ss125@columbia.edu
Insights
Myocardial iron stores in thalassemia patients do not correlate with simultaneous liver iron. However, a 5-year average of liver iron concentration significantly correlates with current myocardial iron, suggesting long-term iron control is key.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cardiology
- Hematology
Background:
- Transfusion-dependent thalassemia syndromes lead to iron overload.
- Iron deposition in organs like the heart poses significant health risks.
- Accurate monitoring of iron burden is crucial for managing complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between myocardial storage iron and overall body iron burden.
- To assess the utility of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in quantifying tissue iron stores.
- To evaluate if myocardial iron reflects long-term iron management in thalassemia patients.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a 1.5-T MRI scanner with multiecho spin echo sequences and advanced gating techniques.
- Employed a novel MR method to quantify myocardial and hepatic storage iron (ferritin and hemosiderin).
- Analyzed data from 22 thalassemia patients and 6 healthy controls, including a subset with historical liver biopsy data.
Main Results:
- No significant correlation was found between simultaneous myocardial and hepatic iron concentrations.
- A significant correlation (R = .67, P = .03) was observed between the 5-year average hepatic iron concentration and current myocardial iron in a subset of patients.
- Myocardial iron levels appear to reflect the body's iron control over several years.
Conclusions:
- Current myocardial iron concentration may not directly mirror immediate hepatic iron levels.
- Long-term monitoring of hepatic iron concentration is a significant predictor of myocardial iron deposition.
- MR imaging offers a promising, non-invasive approach for monitoring iron in vital organs, aiding in the development of improved chelation therapies.
Abstract:
To examine the relationship between myocardial storage iron and body iron burden, as assessed by hepatic storage iron measurements, we studied 22 patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia syndromes, all being treated with subcutaneous deferoxamine, and 6 healthy subjects. Study participants were examined with a Philips 1.5-T Intera scanner using three multiecho spin echo sequences with electrocardiographic triggering and respiratory navigator gating. Myocardial and hepatic storage iron concentrations were determined using a new magnetic resonance method that estimates total tissue iron stores by separately measuring the two principal forms of storage iron, ferritin and hemosiderin. In a subset of 10 patients with beta-thalassemia major, the hepatic storage iron concentration had been monitored repeatedly for 12-14 years by chemical analysis of tissue obtained by liver biopsy and by magnetic susceptometry. In this subset, we examine the relationship between hepatic iron concentration over time and our current magnetic resonance estimates of myocardial iron stores. No significant relationship was found between simultaneous estimates of myocardial and hepatic storage iron concentrations. By contrast, in the subset of 10 patients with beta-thalassemia major, the correlation between the 5-year average of hepatic iron concentration and the current myocardial storage iron was significant (R = .67, P = .03). In these patients, myocardial storage iron concentrations seem to reflect the control of body iron over a period of years. Magnetic resonance methods promise to provide more effective monitoring of iron deposition in vulnerable tissues, including the liver, heart, and endocrine organs, and could contribute to the development of iron-chelating regimens that more effectively prevent iron toxicity.
