A Close Association of Abnormal Iron Metabolism with Steatosis in the Mice Fed a Choline-Deficient Diet

Hepatic iron overload has been frequently observed in the liver of patients with chronic liver diseases. In this study, the effect of hepatic fatty acid accumulation on the iron metabolism was investigated. Mice fed a choline-deficient diet developed severe steatosis associated with increased total amount of non-heme iron in the liver. Hepatic lipid contents were well correlated with the iron amount. The choline-deficient diet significantly downregulated hepcidin while increases in hemojuvelin and transferrin receptor 2 and a decrease in Tmprss6 expression were observed. Moreover, ferroportin expression was downregulated in the livers of choline-deficient mice while increases in transferrin receptor 1 and divalent metal transporter 1 and a decrease in ferritin expression were observed in accordance with increased hepatic iron content. The expression of hepcidin and ferroportin mRNA was negatively correlated to hepatic lipid concentrations. These results suggest that enhanced dietary iron intake and reduced hepatic iron efflux occur in the mice fed a choline-deficient diet. In addition, a possible link between hepatic iron and lipid metabolism is also suggested.