Interleukin-11 enhances gastrointestinal absorption of iron in rats

The effect of parenteral administration of IL-11 on gastrointestinal iron absorption was evaluated. A significant increase in the absorption of 59Fe-tagged food iron fed to fasting rats was observed when two subcutaneous injections of IL-11 were given 48 and 24 h prior to testing. Relatively similar increases of 25% were observed with IL-11 doses of 300, 600 and 1000 micrograms/kg for each injection. The increase in absorption did not appear to be related to changes in erythropoiesis. These findings raise the possibility that the enhanced absorption of iron which occurs with ineffective erythropoiesis may in part be mediated by multifunctional haemopoietic growth factors.