Iron supplementation prevents the development of iron deficiency in rats with omeprazole-induced hypochlorhydria

Gastric acidity is an important luminal factor for non-heme iron absorption. The effect of iron supplementation (1 mg Fe/kg body weight) was studied in rats submitted to hypochlorhydria by daily oral administration of omeprazole (40 mu mol/kg). Forty (40) rats received omeprazole (experimental group) and 20 rats received vehicle (control group) for 4 weeks. At the end of this period, 10 animals from each group were sacrificed. The remaining rats in the control group continued receiving vehicle alone for 2 additional weeks. The experimental group was divided into three subgroups of 10 rats each. One subgroup received omeprazole alone, and the other subgroups received omeprazole plus iron supplementation with iron sulphate (Fe+2) or iron-peptide complex (Fe+3) for 2 additional weeks. After 4 weeks of treatment, the group that received omeprazole presented an increase of serum transferrin and a decrease of hepatic iron levels. However, only after 6 weeks did a decrease of haemoglobin occur in this subgroup. Supplementation started during the 5th week prevented the decrease of haemoglobin, improved the transferrin levels but did not cause hepatic iron to return to control levels. These results suggest that iron deficiency due to hypochlorhydria could be prevented by iron supplementation and that the two iron sources were equally efficient in this respect. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.