Abstract:

Objective: To investigate the effect of squid ink melanin-Fe on hematopoietic modulators in rats. Methods: Iron
deficiency anemia (IDA) model rats were established by feeding with iron-deprived food and bleeding via tail vein. IDA rats
were administered with squid ink melanin-Fe at different dosages for 30 days. Selected indicators such as red blood cells
(RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and serum erythropoietin contents were
monitored. Lung conditioned medium (LCM), spleen cell conditioned medium (SCM) and abdominal cavity macrophage
treated with squid ink melanin-Fe were prepared. The effects of the different conditional media on the proliferation of bone
marrow cells and the formation of hematopoietic progenitor cells colonies including CFU-GM, CFU-E and CFU-Meg
were evaluated. The mRNA expression of GM-CSF, EPOR and TPO were determined by semi-quantity RT-PCR. Results:
Compared with the model group, RBC, Hb, HCT, MCV and serum erythropoietin contents in squid ink melanin-Fe group
revealed a significant increase. The squid ink melanin-Fe could significantly promote the proliferation of bone marrow cells
and the colony formation of CFU-GM and CFU-E in normal rats, but each colony showed various features. The squid ink
melanin-Fe could increase the mRNA expression of GM-CSF and EPOR in bone marrow cells. Conclusion: The squid ink
melanin-Fe can promote the formation of hematopoietic progenitor cells and the differentiation of granulocyte-macrophage
and erythroid line by up-regulating hemopoietic growth factor in IDA rats.

Key words: squid ink melanin-Fe, iron deficiency anemia, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, erythropoietin receptor, thrombopoietin