2025 Volume 111 Issue 2 Pages 58-62
Oral iron medications, a treatment for iron deficiency anemia, frequently cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The mechanism of toxicity has not been elucidated, and therefore measures to reduce toxicity have not been established. The influence of the oxidation state of iron is considered as one of the factors that may cause side effects, so the oxidation state of iron was confirmed using ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy when oral iron medications dissolve in the stomach. The main components of oral iron medications are inorganic and organic acid iron complexes, with citric acid, fumaric acid, sulfuric acid, etc. used as ligands. The influence of the valence of the ligand on the stability of the oxidation state of iron was also examined.
