Hemoglobin Regeneration in Anemic Rats

Abstract

Bioavailability of iron in ferrous sulfate and hemosiderin, which was prepared from pig liver in the laboratory, was evaluated in terms of hemoglobin regeneration efficiency (HRE % ) in anemic rats. Twenty-four male rats of Wistar strain were made anemic by feeding a casein-based, iron-deficient diet for 21 days. The anemic rats were divided into 4 groups and fed, for additional 30 days, the iron-deficient diet without (negative control group) or with supplementation of ferrous sulfate at 24 or 36 mg Fe/kg diet (24-or 36-reference group) , or the experimental d川 groupreceiving hemosiderin iron at 36 mg Fe/kg diet (hemosiderin group). Relative biological values (RBV), evaluated as HRE % by assuming RBV of 100 for the 24-reference group, were 86 and 90 % for the 36-reference and the hemosiderin groups, respectively. HRE was 47.5±1.6, 40.1±1.6 and 41.8±1.4 for the 24-and 36-reference and hemosiderin groups, respectively. The results obtained indicate that iron in hemosiderin is biologically available as highly as ferrous sulfate is. This observation is in sharp contrast to the previously held notion of the poor bioavailability of hemosiderin iron.