Abstract
Abstract The process of iron absorption was studied in rats subjected to various conditions designed to alter iron uptake. Standard 20 meg. doses of radioiron in the form of ferrous sulfate were given by stomach tube to rats which were killed at intervals thereafter. The effects of iron deficiency, iron overload, increased dosage, prior "blocking" doses, and supplements of sorbitol, sodium succinate, ascorbic acid, and succinic acid were examined to determine their role in the absorption of inorganic iron. The absorption of radioiron incorporated within the hemoglobin molecule was similarly studied in normal and iron-deficient rats. Previously reported findings of a dual pathway of iron transfer in intestinal mucosa have been confirmed and extended. Enhanced iron absorption in the rat is associated with a shift to a predominance and persistence of the rapid-transit, amino acid-bound fraction of mucosal iron. These observations provide an alternative to the classical "mucosal block" theory of iron absorption.
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