Effects of Pregnancy and Lactation on Iron Metabolism in Rats

Figure 1

The levels of non-heme iron and L-ferritin in liver and spleen of SD rats at various stages of pregnancy and lactation. Rats were sacrificed at 9, 15, 18, and 21 days of pregnancy (9 dP to 21 dP) or 1, 7, 14, and 21 days of lactation (1 dL to 21 dL). Nonpregnant female rats were used as control. Non-heme iron content in liver (a) and spleen (b) was determined using a colorimetric assay [19]; L-ferritin expression level in liver (c) and spleen (d) was determined by Western blot. A representative blot image for each protein and its respective β-actin was shown. The expression levels in different groups were calculated by normalizing the specific bands to the respective β-actin bands. The relative expression levels as compared to NP control group were calculated and expressed as mean ± SD. versus NP; versus NP. .

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