Studies on the Transport Mechanism of Iron in Rat Incisor Enamel

Abstract

The enamel of the continuous growing incisors of adult rats is characterized by the presence of a orange-yellow pigmentation, which is caused by the content of large amounts of iron. Hi stochemical studies and electron microprobe analysis have shown that iron-containing pigment is also identified within the rat incisor ameloblasts during the enamel maturation stage [1–4]. Autoradiographic studies using 55Fe have demonstrated that the iron is incorporated from papillary layer to the ameloblasts and accumulated during the progress of maturation stage, and finally secreted onto the completely mineralized enamel surface at the end of maturation[5–7]. It is thought that iron is transported as the form of transferrin in the blood plasma and stored as the form of either ferritin or hemosiderin within the cells.