A model of intestinal iron absorption and plasma iron kinetics: optimal parameter estimates for normal dogs

A multicompartment model describing the physiological processes of intestinal iron absorption has been developed. The model accounts for uptake by the intestinal mucosa of iron in the lumen, followed by either iron incorporation into a mucosal storage pool (presumably ferritin) or direct iron transfer to the plasma. To enable analysis of iron absorption from noninvasive measurements, plasma iron kinetics were also analyzed. The model was validated in studies of three beagle dogs given oral 59Fe-citrate and intravenous 55Fe-transferrin simultaneously. Model parameters were estimated from the best (least-squares) fit of the model outputs to the tracer iron activity in venous blood samples and in the whole body. The parameter values show that both incorporation of iron into the mucosal storage pool and transfer of iron from the mucosa to the plasma occur at rates approximately 100 times greater than mucosal uptake of iron from the gut lumen. Further, release of iron from mucosal storage, while measurable, occurs at a slow rate. The study demonstrates the practicality of this noninvasive approach for the simultaneous study of iron absorption and plasma iron kinetics.