On the absorption of divalent and trivalent iron in living rats

For therapeutic purposes ferric and ferrous iron seems to be evaluated in favour of the latter, despite of the fact that at least in animal experiments no difference was observed as far as the bioavailability of either valency state of iron is concerned; prerequisite is that iron has been administered in ionized form. These results have been proven actually by the studies on normal and iron-deficient rats in vivo fed by stomach tube with radioactively labeled 59Fe-(FeSO4), 59Fe-(FeCl3), and the organic complex of 59Fe-Fe(III)-polymaltose). At least in iron-deficient rats the utilization of iron administered in the form of the organic complex was little less than that obtained after having fed FeSO4. Besides the retention of 59Fe-radioactivity 6 days later after the administration also the uptake of 59Fe-radioactivity into erythrocytes and liver has been measured.