Abstract
Abstract Objectives Iron (Fe) fortification involves low dose delivery of bioavailable Fe fortificants to food products during manufacture (or point-of-use) and is an effective population-based strategy to combat human Fe deficiencies that affect over 2 billion people globally. Iron fortification of wheat flour is now mandatory in 75 countries worldwide, however, the tendency of Fe fortificants to oxidize and cause undesired organoleptic and sensory properties pose significant challenges. Nicotianamine (NA) is a natural chelator of Fe and zinc (Zn) in higher plants and NA-chelated Fe is highly bioavailable in vitro. In graminaceous plants NA serves as the biosynthetic precursor to 2′ -deoxymugineic acid (DMA), a related Fe chelator and enhancer of Fe bioavailability, and increased NA/DMA biosynthesis has proved an effective Fe biofortification strategy in several cereal crops. In this study we aimed to investigate the impact of NA-chelated Fe on Fe status and gastrointestinal health in vivo. Methods We utilized the versatile chicken (Gallus gallus) model to assess NA-chelated Fe when delivered to chickens through intraamniotic administration (short-term exposure) or over a period of six weeks as part of a biofortified wheat diet containing increased NA, Fe, Zn and DMA (long-term exposure). Results Following short-term exposure, chickens that received an NA-chelated Fe treatment demonstrated significantly increased blood serum Fe, intestinal goblet cell number, and abundance of Bifidobacterium relative to chickens that received control Fe treatments (either EDTA-chelated Fe or unchelated Fe). Following long-term exposure, chickens that consumed the biofortified diet had significantly increased liver Fe, liver and muscle glycogen, and intestinal goblet cell number, as well as significantly different microbial population diversities (including a greater abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus) relative to chickens that consumed the control diet. Conclusions Taken together these results demonstrate numerous health benefits associated with NA-chelated Fe in a biofortified wheat diet and uncover novel impacts of NA-chelated Fe on gastrointestinal health and functionality. Funding Sources This work was supported by grants from the USDA-ARS and HarvestPlus.
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