Computerized image analysis of iron-stained macrophages

Ann Hematol. 2013 Sep;92(9):1195-9. doi: 10.1007/s00277-013-1740-2. Epub 2013 Apr 17.

Abstract

Analysis of iron levels in single cells is critical to understand the consequences of impaired regulation of iron homeostasis. Here we establish a method to analyze intracellular iron deposits by computerized image analysis of Prussian blue-stained alveolar macrophages as a test system. We efficiently detected small differences in macrophage steady-state iron levels in Hfe (-/-) mice as well as inflammation-induced iron sequestration upon lipopolysaccharide instillation. In conclusion, computerized image analysis of single cells is a robust and reproducible tool suitable for iron measurements in small sample sets with limited cell yield.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Ferrocyanides / analysis
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Iron / analysis*
  • Macrophages, Alveolar / chemistry*
  • Macrophages, Alveolar / ultrastructure*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Random Allocation
  • Staining and Labeling / methods*

Substances

  • Ferrocyanides
  • Iron
  • ferric ferrocyanide