1995 Volume 10 Issue 6 Pages 830-836
The feto-placental transfer of 59Fe-sodium ferrous citrate (59Fe-SCF) and 59Fe-ferrous sulfate (59FeSO4)were studied in pregnant rats on day 18 of gestation after a single oral administration of 59Fe-SCF (0.75 mg/kg) and 59FeSO4 (1.5 mg/kg). The blood levels of radioactivity at 6 h after administration of 59Fe-SCF was higher than that of 59FeSO4, and even at 24 h, the blood levels of radioactivity after administration of 59Fe-SCF was about 3.4-fold higher than that of 59FeSO4. The plasma levels of radioactivity rapidly decreased in monoexponential manner untill 24 h, when 59FeSO4 was orally administered. In the case of 59Fe-SCF, the plasma levels of radioactivity reached maximum at 6 h and rapidly decreased thereafter.
The highest radioactivity of 59Fe-SCF in the maternal tissues was found in the spleen, followed by the bone (including bone marrow) and liver. There was almost no distribution of radioactivity in the brain, brown fat and muscle, after oral administration either 59Fe-SCF or 59FeSO4. The radioactivity in the placenta, fetues and amnitoic fluid were higher than in the maternal blood for the both compounds, however, the radioactivity in the placenta, fetues and amniotic fluid after 59Fe-SCF administration were higher than those of 59FeSO4. This finding indicates that SCF in comparison to FeSO4, has great efficacy for intestinal absorption in pregnant rats and bio-utilization of iron for fetues.
