Abstract
This study examined the bioavailability of iron contained in microencapsulated ferric saccharate in a rat model of iron deficiency anaemia. Three groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats with induced iron deficiency anaemia were subsequently treated with a control Fe-deficient diet (2-6 mg Fe/Kg of diet) with or without the addition of 10 mg Fe/Kg of diet (in form of ferrous sulphate or microencapsulated ferric saccharate) for 2 weeks. The bioavailability of microencapsulated ferric saccharate was examined by measuring body weight gain, feed efficiency and reticulocyte parameters, and compared with the bioavailability of ferrous sulphate. Final body weight, feed efficiency, mean corpuscular volume of reticulocytes and average haemoglobin content in reticulocytes were significantly higher in anaemic rats supplemented with either microencapsulated ferric saccharate or ferrous sulphate, compared to anaemic controls. No significant differences were found between the two iron-supplemented groups. The total number of reticulocytes showed a similar trend. The results demonstrated that ingestion of microencapsulated ferric saccharate is as effective as ferrous sulphate in recovery from iron deficiency anaemia.