Comparison of absorption characteristics of iron glycine chelate and ferrous sulfate in caco-2 cells.

The study was conducted to compare the absorption characteristics of iron glycine chelate (Fe-Gly) and ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) in Caco-2 cells. Effects of several factors, including concentration, time and temperature on iron (Fe) transport were investigated. In Caco-2 cell model, Fe transport amount in Fe-Gly treatment was higher than that in FeSO4 from the apical side (AP) to the basolateral (BL) side. However, there was no significant difference between the FeSO4 and Fe-Gly treatments in the direction of BL to AP. Similar results were also found on Fe transport rate of Fe-Gly and FeSO4 across Caco-2 monolayers. The apparent permeability coefficient of Fe-Gly was significantly higher than that of FeSO4 in the direction of AP to BL. The ratio of the apparent permeability coefficient between AP to BL and BL to AP was greater than 1.0 for both forms of Fe resources. The Fe transport amount in Fe-Gly treatment was higher than that in FeSO4 treatment, no matter the incubation temperature was 37°C or 4°C. However, it significantly decreased, when the incubation temperature dropped from 37°C to 4°C. The results indicate that Fe of Fe-Gly can be easily absorbed than FeSO4 in Caco2 cells. © 2013 Friends Science Publishers