Abstract
An isolate of lead-ferritin obtained from soybean seeds sprouted in 25 mM of PbNO3 was introduced into the diet of both iron-deficient and iron non-deficient male rats. After a 21-day administration period, statistical differences in the lead accumulation in the femurs of the rats were noted. Iron-deficient rats accumulated more than four times the amount of lead in their bones than rats without iron-deficiency. No further decrease was observed in haemoglobin concentrations in the groups of animals fed with lead isolates, either iron-deficient or iron non-deficient. Also, no differences in the mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were observed at the end of the experiment in the group of iron non-deficient rats fed with lead-ferritin isolate compared to the control group of iron non-deficient rats. In the iron-deficient group fed with lead-ferritin isolate, a small increase in haemoglobin concentrations, MCH, MCV and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentrations (MCHC) was recorded. The results presented in this paper confirm that lead from the tested preparation—lead ferritin isolate—was better absorbed by those rats with induced iron deficiency anaemia. Additionally, we may also suspect based on the obtained results that absorption of ferritin-iron depends on iron status in the body.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11130-014-0413-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Iron deficiency anaemia is a very common nutritional disorder in humans
A new interesting source of plant ferritin are sprouted soybean seeds, which are biofortified during their growth [6]
Some previous reports suggested its limited absorption by the human body [2], while present studies indicate on high bioavailability of ferritin iron [3, 5]
Summary
Iron deficiency anaemia is a very common nutritional disorder in humans. Currently, a good source of this microelement with a better bioavailability profile is required. Experiments are focused especially on non-hem iron, improvement of its bioavailability, reducing restrictive factors, recognizing the mechanisms of its absorption and the side-effects of new iron sources introduced into the diet or supplements [1,2,3,4,5,6]. One of the method being considered for fortification of the human diet with iron is food enrichment in plant ferritin. Ferritin delivers iron to the body in an oxidized Fe3+ form, enclosed in a peptide shell. Some previous reports suggested its limited absorption by the human body [2], while present studies indicate on high bioavailability of ferritin iron [3, 5]. The resistance of ferritin to digestion is still being discussed [5, 7, 8]
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