Abstract
Ferritin-iron is currently considered as one of the most promising iron forms to prevent iron deficiency anaemia. We found that the cultivation of soybean seeds in a solution of ferrous sulfate results in material with extremely high iron content - 560.6 mg Fe/100 g of dry matter, while ferritin iron content was 420.5 mg/100 g dry matter. To assess the potential adverse effects of a preparation containing such a high concentration of iron, male and female Wistar rats were exposed via diet to 10, 30, 60 g soybean sprouts powder/kg feed for 90 days. There were no differences in final body weight and mean food consumption between controls and rats administered sprouts. No statistically significant differences in haematology and clinical chemistry parameters were found between controls and treated rats. Microscopic examination of 22 tissues did not reveal any pathology due to soybean sprouts intake. Long term administration of the test material did not cause oxidative damage to DNA and protein in the liver as evidenced by the unchanged basal levels of DNA damage as well as carbonyl groups content. Lipid peroxidation was slightly increased only in females. The activity of several antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase was increased, which substantially enhanced the antioxidant status in the liver from the rats treated with soybean sprouts. Hence, the material tested can be recommended as a component of food supplements for individuals with iron deficiency anaemia and inflammatory bowel diseases.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11130-016-0535-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common form of malnutrition in the world
The difference between the heme-iron and ionic iron systems of the plant ferritin absorption suggests that the protein may be an abundant source of this element for individuals with disturbed uptake mechanisms [17]
We found that the cultivation of soybean seeds in a solution of FeSO4 permits obtaining material with extremely high iron content of 560.6 mg/100 g of dry matter, while the ferritin iron content was ~420.5 mg/100 g d.m
Summary
Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common form of malnutrition in the world. an increase in inorganic iron supply to the human organism does not provide expected results due to many side effects and poor absorption from the digestive tract. Ferritin-iron is currently considered as one of the promising iron forms to prevent iron deficiency anaemia and to treat inflammatory bowel diseases [1] Plant ferritin is a protein which complexes iron atoms in the apo-protein shell and is expressed in all plant cells in order to protect them from toxic effect of this element [2]. The content of naturally occurring ferritin in edible parts of plants differs greatly and its high content is noted especially in legume seeds. It reaches the level of 50– 70 mg/kg and corresponds to ~10 mg of iron per kg [5]. High content of iron in plants has been obtained in legume
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