Ferritin-Containing Bodies in Human Small Intestinal Epitheliuin

Ferritin was identified in the absorptive cells of human jejunum from normal iron-replete subjects by the demonstration of the tetrad form of the iron hydroxide micelle of the ferritin molecule. In a few sections ferritin molecules were observed to be dispersed in the cytoplasm, but usually they were within inclusion bodies found in the apical cytoplasm. These ferritin-containing bodies were oval in profile and 0.5-1.5 µ long. They were not bounded by membrane but did have a moderately dense background substance which made a sharp boundary with the cytoplasmic ground substance. A few clues suggest that the body itself, but not necessarily its substance, is formed within the Golgi apparatus.