New method to study oxidative damage and antioxidants in the human small bowel: effects of iron application

Iron may induce oxidative damage to the intestinal mucosa by its catalyzing role in the formation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals. This study aimed to determine iron-induced oxidative damage provoked by a single clinical dosage of ferrous sulfate and to elucidate the antioxidant defense mechanisms in the human small intestine in vivo. A double-lumen perfusion tube was positioned orogastrically into a 40-cm segment of the proximal small intestine in six healthy volunteers (25 +/- 5 yr). The segment was perfused with saline and subsequently with saline containing 80 mg iron as ferrous sulfate at a rate of 10 ml/min. Intestinal fluid samples were collected at 15-min intervals. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances concentrations as an indicator of lipid peroxidation increased significantly from 0.07 microM (range, 0-0.33 microM) during saline perfusion to 3.35 microM (range, 1.19-7.27 microM) during iron perfusion (P < 0.05). Nonprotein antioxidant capacity increased significantly from 474 microM (range, 162-748 microM) to 1,314 microM (range, 674-1,542 microM) (P < 0.05). These data show that a single dosage of ferrous sulfate induces oxidative damage and the subsequent release of an antioxidant in the small intestine in vivo in healthy volunteers.