Morphological and functional alterations of the intestine of rats with iron-deficiency anemia

• Main Authors: M.L.C. Wayhs, F.S.R. Patrício, O.M.S. Amancio, M.Z. Pedroso, U. Fagundes Neto, M.B. Morais
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica 2004-11-01
• Series: Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
• Subjects: Iron deficiency; Anemia; Jejunal villus height; Jejunal mucosal thickness; Jejunal epithelial surface
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2004001100006
• ISSN: 0100-879X; 1414-431X

The present study was designed to assess the intestinal absorption of D-xylose and jejunal morphometry in rats with iron-deficiency anemia. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group (diet containing 50 mg Fe/kg, N = 12) and an anemic group (diet containing <5 mg Fe/kg, N = 12). The animals were housed in individual metabolic cages and deionized water and diet were provided ad libitum for 6 weeks. Hemoglobin and hematocrit were determined at 0, 2, 4, and 6 weeks. At the end of the study the rats were submitted to a D-xylose absorption test (50 mg/100 g body weight) and sacrificed and a jejunal specimen was obtained for morphometric study. At the end of the study the hemoglobin and hematocrit of the anemic rats (8.7 ± 0.9 g/dl and 34.1 ± 2.9%, respectively) were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those of the controls (13.9 ± 1.4 g/dl and 47.1 ± 1.5%, respectively). There was no statistical difference in D-xylose absorption between the anemic (46.5 ± 7.4%) and control (43.4 ± 9.0%) groups. The anemic animals presented statistically greater villus height (445.3 ± 36.8 µm), mucosal thickness (614.3 ± 56.3 µm) and epithelial surface (5063.0 ± 658.6 µm) than control (371.8 ± 34.3, 526.7 ± 62.3 and 4401.2 ± 704.4 µm, respectively; P < 0.05). The increase in jejunum villus height, mucosal thickness and epithelial surface in rats with iron-deficiency anemia suggests a compensatory intestinal mechanism to increase intestinal iron absorption.