ACHTSCHIN, C.G. Iron overload in healthy rats. 2010. 63f. Dissertation (Master s Degree) – Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 2010. The aim of the present work was to investigate the effect of different dietary Fe concentrations on blood parameters (hemogram, lipid profile) and hepatic parameters (mineral concentration, fatty-acid profile, apoptosis) in healthy rats. Fe depositions in the spleen and bone marrow were also assessed using histological analyses. Wistar young rats (n = 40) were fed control diets (35 mgFe/kg) or diets with Fe overload (350, 750 and 1500 mgFe/kg). After 90 days of experiment, no alterations in the lipid profile and serum transaminases, and fattyacid profile in the liver were observed. On the other hand, the consumption of diets with Fe overload (G750 and G1500) led increased hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) when compared to the control. In addition, a higher Fe concentration (G350, G750 e G1500 in Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry and G1500 in histological sections) and presence of apoptotic bodies (G750 e G1500) were observed in the liver of animals with Fe overload (hepatic Fe x apoptosis, r = 0.749, p = 0.000). The results indicated that the liver is a compartment responsive to dietary Fe overload. The significant association with the apoptotic process suggests that the alterations caused by an overload of the mineral should be assessed in more detail under these experimental conditions.