Liver iron loading. (A) Iron concentrations in liver samples from 1- and 2-month-old wild-type (□), Hp-null (▪), Hfe-null (▧), and HfeHp double-null F2 mice (▨). Results are expressed as mean ± SEM; n = 12 for each group. There was a tendency to lower liver iron content in Hp-null mice compared with wild-type mice (particularly at 1 month) but the difference was not statistically significant. There were significant differences between Hfe-null and wild-type mice (P < .001), Hfe-null and Hp-null mice (P < .001), and Hfe-null and Hfe and Hp compound mutant mice (P < .01) at both 1 and 2 months of age. (B) Liver sections from wild-type, Hp-null, Hfe-null, and Hfe and Hp compound mice stained with Perls reaction. Note the reduction in periportal iron deposits in the HfeHp double-null mouse compared with the Hfe-null mouse. Bar = 100 μm.
