Biochemical Skeletal Muscle and Hematological Profiles of Moderate and Severely Iron Deficient and Anemic Adult Rats

Abstract

The time course of the effects of moderate and severe iron deficiency anemia on tissue biochemistry of adult male rats was studied. Nine groups of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were killed; eight of which had approximately 8 g hemoglobin (Hb)/dl (moderately anemic) for 3 to 360 days and one group which had approximately 4 g Hb/dl (severely anemic) for 30 days. Plasma iron was depressed in the moderately and severely anemic groups at all times relative to nonanemic control rats. Moderately anemic rats at 360 days had a low mean corpuscular Hb and mean corpuscular volume and severely anemic rats at 210 days had a low mean corpuscular Hb, and elevated mean corpuscular Hb concentration. Cytochrome oxidase activity of the white vastus lateralis, red vastus lateralis and soleus muscles were not different between the moderately anemic groups and their respective control groups at any time, but was significantly lower after 30 days of severe iron deficiency anemia. The myoglobin content and phosphofructokinase activity of these muscles showed no significant group differences with moderate or severe iron deficiency. It is concluded that: 1) moderate iron deficiency anemia imposed no stimulus for alterations of the oxidative or glycolytic capacity of skeletal muscle, whereas severe iron deficiency anemia induced rapid select changes in a mitochondrial component of skeletal muscle, 2) the blood profiles in conjunction with the muscle biochemistry data in the moderately anemic group suggest a hypochromic, microcytic, “manifest iron deficiency” anemia, while those of the severely anemic group suggest a hypochromic, normocytic, “severe iron deficiency” anemia.