Iron content and total binding capacity of the serum in the turkey

Abstract

Not frequent are the studies. on the iron metabolism of animáis and even fewer those which make reference to birdsconcretely. Aside from'Warburg’s and Krebs’s (1), Ramsay and. Campbei,I,’s work (2) on hens has to be excelled. In a prevous paper (3) we have also studied the hens jointty with various mammalia, and have observed some of the characte- ristics pointed out by those authors, aside from observing sexual differences in the serum iron.

The serum iron has been determined according to Ramsay’s new technique (4), and for the total binding capacity we have followed a method of the same author (5).

In each serum the iron and the total binding capacity has been determined. All of the experiments have ben realized twice an thier average is in Tablel. From these valúes the saturation coefficient (SC) has been calculated.

The serum iron in the turkey presents considerable varia- tions, with average valúes of 70 y % + 16,2 (o- = 48,7) for the male, and 104.9 y % ± 14.5 (o- = 45.2) in the female. The different valúes superimpose on themselves, and therefore there do not exist sexual differences between these birds ; in the hens we found (3) differences, statistically speaking, in favor of the females.

Real high serum, iron valúes (400 to 900 y %) as in the hens (2,3), which Ramsay relates to laying have not been found. This work has been realized in a period (December-January) in which the females are in sexual rest. It would beinteresting to verify if in this species the iron metabolism ex- periences an altration as a consequence of laying.

The serum binding capacity presents a greater homogeneity in the different valúes, which is in contrast with the dispersión of the valúes corresponding to the serum iron. The average values, are 302.1 y + 12.2 (o- = 36.6) in the males and 315.2 y ± 14.8 (<r = 46) in the females; with a saturation coefficient of 24.7 % (<r = 16.2) and 33.6 % (o- = 13.9) re- spectively.

The interest of being able to compare all of these valúes with the ones found in other birds and mammalia is pointedout, reason why other experiments are being realized in this laboratory ; they are compared with the valúes found in men (6) in which the total binding capacity is of 340 y and the saturation coefficient is 35-40 %.