Iron-Manganese Interactions in the Evolution of Iron Deficiency

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of nutritional iron deficiency and the possible interactions with other minerals, such as manganese, in control and iron-deficient rats. The evolution of iron deficiency was studied at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 days of providing the animals with an iron-free diet (diet 0). It was found that the critical period in the development of nutritional iron deficiency occurs after 30–40 days without iron, at which moment the organism is unable to maintain hemoglobin levels without endangering the iron-dependent enzymatic groups which, in turn, are essential for life. It was also demonstrated that in a situation of iron deficiency, there occurs a greater absorption of manganese. It should be noted that this greater absorption of manganese is not reflected in the concentration of the mineral in the organs. Therefore, it is evident that the interactions of iron with manganese take place at the digestive level with no apparent consequences being observed at the metabolic level.