Enhancing effects of bovine serum albumin on cell injury induced with Fe-NTA

Direct effects of ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) on normal rat liver epithelial cells (RL34) in serum-free culture were studied. More than 10 micrograms/ml iron of Fe-NTA was cytotoxic and the cytotoxicity was prevented by adding apotransferrin into culture medium. Also, bovine serum albumin (BSA), which is known to bind Fe-NTA, was found to promote the cytotoxicity, while fatty acids-free BSA (F-BSA) prevented it. This result indicates that fatty acids rather than albumin promote Fe-NTA cytotoxicity.