BIOAVAILABILITY OF THE IRON FORMULATED AS NATURAL FERRIC PROTEIN (TM FMOA) AND NATURAL FERRIC PROTEIN PLUS FOLIC-ACID (TM/FMOA+FOL)/

Numerous oral iron preparations are available for the treatment of iro n deficiency anemia but only very few studies have been designed to me asure the bioavailability of iron preparations. The aim of this assay is to determine the bioavailability of iron formulated as natural ferr ic protein (TM/FMOA)(FMOA=Ferrimannitol ovalbumin) and natural ferric protein with folic acid (TM/FMOA+FOL) in healthy and anemic rats. Dete rmination of the bioavailability of iron has been carried out by study ing the serum level-time curves after i.v. administration of a single dose of 1 mg iron/kg in the form of ferrous sulfate, and after oral ad ministration of 2 mg of iron/kg in the form of TM/FMOA or TM/FMOA+FOL. The Cmax values obtained after oral administration of TM/FMOA and TM/ FMOA+FOL are greater in the case of anemic rats, while the t(max) valu es are similar in both types of animals. The bioavailability (F) is gr eater for the anemic rats (80% approx), and the presence of folic acid does not appear to influence the bioavailability of the iron. This bi oavailability data with TM/FMOA can predict good results in further ex periments in human beings with iron deficiencies.