Identification and characterization of the iron compounds in bone marrow by means of Mössbauer spectrometry

In order to determine and to demonstrate the cellular iron molecular states in hematopoietic bone marrow, direct investigations were performed by means of different and complementary spectroscopic techniques: optical absorption, electron spin resonance and Mössbauer spectrometry. In fact, the latter appears to have been the most informative. In addition to the hemoglobin forms, five- and six-coordination ligand protoporphyrins IX (monomeric and polymeric stacking, respectively) were observed. A small amount of non-hemic high-spin iron III storage component (ferritin) was measured. No diferric transferrin was detected. A ferrous compound was also observed and attributed to the mitochondrial iron pool.