[Evaluation of the intestinal absorption of iron orally administered as chondroitin sulfate in normal subjects]

The behaviour of sideremia has been studied in order to assess the intestinal absorption of iron of a new compound, ferric chondroitin sulfate after oral administration in 12 normal volunteers. After administration of 90 mg of iron as ferric chondroitin sulfate, sideremia rose from a basal value of 88 +/- 27 micrograms/dl to a value of 128 +/- 22 micrograms/dl at the third hour. Variance analysis showed that the increases were statistically significant (F = 27.7; p less than 0.00001). In the same subjects, the test was carried out in accordance with a randomised crossover design in two periods after administration of 91 mg of ferritin iron: sideremia rose from a basal value of 92 +/- 27 micrograms/dl to a value at the third hour of 97 +/- 28 micrograms/dl, moderate increases but statistically significant (F = 3.2; P = 0.0354). Variance analysis by repeated measurements showed that increases in sideremia were significantly higher after iron administration as ferric chondroitin sulfate than after administration of ferritin iron (F = 13.18; p = 0.0042). This study documents the good bioavailability of the iron contained in ferric chondroitin sulfate.