Influence of heat-treatment on rabbit liver-ferritin kinetics

Abstract

Rabbit liver-ferritin was purified by heat-treatment and immuno-affinity chromatography or by immuno-affinity chromatography alone. The ferritin was labeled with 125I and injected into rabbits. Significant differences between the 2 preparations were observed in the rate of clearance from plasma. The biological half-life in vivo of the heat-treated samples was 5.3 .+-. 0.5 min, and of non-heated preparations 8.5 .+-. 0.5 min, thereby showing a significant (P < 0.001) affect on the final preparation of heat-treatment during the isolation procedure. After the first 10-15 min period the clearance rate of a slower disappearing fraction was not dependent on the purification method used. The smaller amount of that fraction present in the heat-treated preparation, however, implies a selective loss of ferritin forms with a slow plasma clearance during the isolation procedure that includes heat-treatment.