Introduction: Ferritin (with molecular weight: 450 kDa, 24 subunits) is composed of light and heavy chains and has a major role in circulating iron storage, so that up to 4500 ferric iron ions (Fe3+) can be stored within its structure. The aim of this study was purification of ferritin from liver (the tissue that contains large amounts of ferritin) with high yield/purity, and evalu-ation of its possible peroxidase activity.
Materials & Methods: For successful purification of ferritin, we employed the obvious characteristic of ferritin (high ther-mal resistance against temperatures over 80°C) in two steps accompanying with ammonium sulfate precipitation and anionic exchange chromatography (DEAE-cellul-ose).
Findings: Ferritin was successfully purified and its purity (~ 95%) was confirmed using SDS-PAGE. Also at the present study, the peroxidase activity of heme-ferritin com-plex for the first time is documented.
Discussion & Conclusion: Since ferritin is widely used in diagnosis as well as research fields, its purification is inevitable prereq-uisite. Oxidative stress, as the main cause of neurodegenerative diseases, may also corre-late with increased concentrations of ferritin in AD brain.
Ranjbar S, Jaafari M, Khodarahmi R, Zarei Z, Ashrafi M, Miraghaei S S. Purification of Ferritin From Sheep Liver and The Report of Peroxidase Activity of Heme-Ferritin Complex. Journal title 2013; 20 (4) :117-126 URL: http://sjimu.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-877-en.html