Abstract
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common micronutrient deficiency among pregnant women with severe consequences including impaired immuno-inflammatory system, premature birth, fetal death etc. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of three iron supplements on IDA female rats and their offspring. The IDA female rat model was established with low iron diet and the rats were then mated. After pregnancy, rats were fed diets containing different iron supplements (iron polysaccharide complex, iron protein succinylate and ferrous sulfate) until their offspring were 42 days old. Pregnancy outcomes, haematological, iron metabolism, physical and neurological development indexes were determined. The results showed that all three iron supplements improved the levels of hematological parameters of both mother and offspring rats. After iron supplementation, serum iron, transferrin saturation and serum ferritin levels were increased compared with the IDA group. The level of ferritin light chain in the liver and spleen of both mother and offspring rats in iron supplemented groups was significantly higher than that of the IDA group. The average number of born alive per litter in the iron treatment groups was significantly higher than that in the IDA group. Iron supplements also improved the physical growth and neurobehavioral development of offspring rats. It was also found that iron supplementation improved the expression of ferritin light chain and the synaptic growth associated proteins in the brain and hippocampus. No significant difference was found in the efficacy of three iron supplements. These results suggest that pregnant and postpartum IDA affects pregnancy outcomes, offspring physical development and causes neural impairment. Sufficient iron supplementation can significantly improve IDA and its adverse effects on both mother and offspring.
Highlights
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common micronutrient deficiency among pregnant women with severe consequences including impaired immuno-inflammatory system, premature birth, fetal death etc
To determine whether maternal iron supplement could improve the pregnancy outcomes, the parturition rate, average number of total born per litter, and average number of total born alive per litter were recorded in anemia rats supplemented with or without iron during the entire gestation period
In IDA group, the average number of total born per litter and average number of total born alive per litter were significantly lower than that in normal control group (NG) (Table 1)
Summary
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common micronutrient deficiency among pregnant women with severe consequences including impaired immuno-inflammatory system, premature birth, fetal death etc. The level of ferritin light chain in the liver and spleen of both mother and offspring rats in iron supplemented groups was significantly higher than that of the IDA group. No significant difference was found in the efficacy of three iron supplements These results suggest that pregnant and postpartum IDA affects pregnancy outcomes, offspring physical development and causes neural impairment. In China, some studies reported the effects of IPC on IDA in pregnant women and its effects on pregnancy outcomes, but few studies have examined the growth and development of newborns after birth. In addition to determining the effects of IPS, IPC, and FS on pregnancy outcomes, we examined the haematological and immuno-inflammatory indexes of the mother rats and offspring rats, as well as the physical and neural development of the offspring rats with those iron supplements
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