Spontaneous Murine Hemosiderosis, A Model for Human Hemochromatosis?

The study of animal diseases resembling those of man may justify use of laboratory animals. Alternatives for organic derailments in living organisms are as yet not available. We studied the natural occurrence of iron loading in the spleen of C57B1 mice in order to find characteristics similar to human hemochromatosis, which is of genetic origin. In animals the disorder is commonly indicated as hemosiderosis. The blood pigment, hemosiderin, accumulates in macrophages notably of the spleen. Other organs can be involved especially the liver. In human hemochromatosis this is the principle organ which is heavily loaded with iron pigment. A certain amount of hemosiderin is regularly present in the spleen of mice. The amount increases with age. However, as far as we know, it does not lead to an abnormal colour at the surface of the spleen. At the age of 2 months fifteen percent of our C57B1 mice may show a spleen with a black anterior part. There appears to be no apparent sex preference for the disorder. We studied mice primarily at the age of 3 months by histological techniques, thereby paying attention to some endogenous factors.