Structural distinction between ferritin and iron-dextran (imferon). An electron diffraction comparison.

Electron diffraction data from ferritin, iron-dextran (Imferon), ferrihydrite, and beta-FeOOH support earlier suggestions that ferritin iron and ferrihydrite are structurally the same and totally different from Imferon and beta-FeOOH, which are closely related. The conclusion that ferritin and Imferon are uniquely similar is not confirmed. Ferrihydrite-dextran complexes should make a better analog than existing iron-dextrans for the study of ferritin iron-protein interactions.