Effect of total dose infusion of iron dextran on the storage iron content of the human placenta

In a series of pregnant women with iron deficiency anaemia treated by a total dose infusion of iron dextran, the non-haem iron content of the placenta at term was studied histochemically and by chemical analysis. Within a few days of the infusion the Prussian blue reaction on the placenta was very strong, but was negative by ten days after the infusion. Chemical analysis showed that both the water-insoluble fraction (haemosiderin) and the water-soluble fraction (ferritin) of the non-haem iron were increased soon after the infusion, but three weeks after the infusion they were almost the same as in untreated controls. Pinocytosis of iron dextran by the trophoblast and increased transport of transferrin-bound iron to the placenta are considered as possible causes for this large uptake of iron by the placenta.