The ability to determine the non-transferrin-bound iron and total iron in the human placenta using high-performance liquid chromatography method

Abstract

Iron is one of the most important microelements in the human body. It is a component of haemoglobin, which transports oxygen to all cells in the organism. It is also used in the synthesis of myelin, neurotrans-mitters, and DNA and transfers electrons in biochemical reactions. Iron is also responsible for regular development of the foetus’ central nervous system. Furthermore, as a result of Fenton reactions, iron leads to formation of toxic free radicals. The existence of non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) and its part desfer-rioxamine-chelatable iron (DCI) can be used to assess this element in the body. The placenta is an organ transition that is formed during pregnancy in the female organism. It has a dense web of blood vessels in which dynamic exchange of blood between mother and foetus takes place. As a result, a fraction of NTBI may be present in the placenta. The main goal of this work was to develop a method for determining total iron and desferrioxamine-chelatable iron in solid tissues - the human placenta.