Effect of Phenylhydrazine and Bone Marrow Inhibitors on Red Cell Destruction and Serum Iron Concentration

¹ From the Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

The administration of sublethal doses of bone marrow depressants (nitrogen mustard, triethylene melamine and thioguanine) causes a temporary, moderate increase in serum iron concentration, a slight depression of bone marrow activity and no change in hemoglobin concentration. A combination of any of these drugs with a small dose of phenylhydrazine causes a temporary marked hyperferremia, a moderate anemia and a marked reticulocytosis. The results indicate that hyperferremia is not necessarily associated with bone marrow activity.