Interaction of transferrin with iron-loaded rat peritoneal macrophages

Rat peritoneal macrophages are capable, in vitro, of processing and releasing iron derived from phagocytosed, immunosensitized red cells. From 20% to 60% of the red cell iron can be returned to the culture medium in 24 h, with resident macrophages more active than inflammatory, peptone-induced macrophages. When apotransferrin is present in the culture medium, from 39% to 72% of iron released from macrophages is bound to the protein, with most of the remainder in a ferritin-like form. No distinct preference of released iron for either site of transferrin could be observed. The absence of apotransferrin depresses iron release only slightly, with much of the iron then released in a form readily available to the protein in vitro. Pronase treatment of macrophages, which abolishes their ability to bind transferrin, depresses iron release no more than 10-15%. It appears, therefore, that binding of apotransferrin to macrophages may not be essential for iron excretion by the cells.