Bioavailability Assessment of an Iron Formulation Using Differentiated Human Intestinal Caco-2 Cells

In recent years, there has been growing interest in exploring alternative and innovative delivery systems to improve the efficacy of iron supplements, satisfying iron needs and lowering side effects. To address this issue, this study aimed at demonstrating the advantages of Ferro Supremo formulation (composed of encapsulated iron, vitamins, and micronutrients), in terms of capacity to improve iron intestinal absorption, in comparison with standard FeSO₄. Hence, differentiated Caco-2 cells have been used for assessing the in vitro bioavailability and safety of FS and FeSO₄. MTT experiments demonstrated that both FS and FeSO₄ are not able to impair the viability of Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, the quantitative and qualitative analysis, conducted by atomic absorption spectrometry and fluorescence determinations, revealed that FS can enter, accumulate in the cytoplasm, and be transported by intestinal cells four times more efficiently than FeSO₄. Our findings indicate that this formulation can be considered a valuable and efficiently good choice as food supplements for improving iron deficiency.