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The following message was posted to: PharmPK
I am hoping someone may be able to answer a question in relation to the
action of picolinic acid in the body. This first article speaks to its use
as a chelator of iron.
Has this substance be tested in relation to its EXCRETION once it has
chelated with iron?
Does it allow the body to excrete this iron?
The second article is in regards to a recent study in which they developed
a test to study body iron stores and one of its results is that it has
found the body is incapable of controlling iron once the *saturation* of
the transferrin reaches 35%.
Subject: picolinic acid
# picolinic acid is an isomer of nicotinic acid
According to current research, it is unclear what effect
picolinic acid has on the body. Little is known about its nutritional
value or physiological effects.
Picolinic acid competes with niacin, removes iron from cells,
and has been shown to alter normal glandular function in laboratory
animals.
J Natl Cancer Inst 1982 Jan;68(1):123-6
Antitumor activity of picolinic acid in CBA/J mice.
Leuthauser SW, Oberley LW, Oberley TD
The growth of a solid tumor induced by i'm implantation of Ehrlich
ascites tumor cells in inbred CBA/J mice was retarded by treatment
with an iron chelator, picolinic acid (PLA). Survival of the mice was
also significantly increased after PLA treatment. However, the iron
chelator deferoxamine had no such effects; tumor growth was slightly
enhanced, and survival was decreased.
PMID: 6948122, UI: 82101866
Subject: transferrin saturation/35%/iron
J Hepatol 2000 May;32(5):727-33
Determination of non-transferrin-bound iron in genetic hemochromatosis using a
new HPLC-based method.
Loreal O, Gosriwatana I, Guyader D, Porter J, Brissot P, Hider RC
INSERM U522, CHR Pontchaillou, Rennes, France.
[Medline record in process]
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Non-transferrin-bound iron may play a major
pathogenic role in iron overload diseases due to its high hepatic
uptake and potential damaging effect. The aim of this study was to
evaluate the relevance of measuring serum non-transferrin-bound iron
levels in genetic hemochromatosis using a new high performance liquid
chromatography-based method. METHODS: This method includes a
presaturation step of transferrin with cobalt(II) in order to avoid
secondary deplacement of non-transferrin-bound iron toward transferrin
during the assay. Six genetic hemochromatotic patients were followed
serially during venesection treatment. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The
results indicate: (i) that this new method permits detection of
non-transferrin-bound iron when transferrin is not fully saturated,
(ii) that non-transferrin-bound iron levels persist almost until the
completion of treatment, (iii) that non-transferrin-bound iron levels
are well correlated with transferrin saturation for a given patient,
and (iv) that despite some individual variations, a transferrin
saturation value lower than 35% usually corresponds to the
disappearance of non-transferrin-bound iron.
PMID: 10845658, UI: 20302281
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