Oral Lactoferrin versus Ferrous Sulphate for the Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia during Pregnancy

Abstract

D and IDA are still a major health problem in pregnant women. To cure ID and IDA, iron supplements are routinely prescribed. The preferred treatment of ID/IDA, consisting of oral administration of iron as ferrous sulphate, often fails to exert significant effects on hypoferremia and may cause adverse effects The most commonly used treatment for ID and IDA currently consists of oral administration of iron as ferrous sulphate. However, ferrous sulphate administration often fails to exert any significant effects on these pregnancy-associated pathologies, and frequently causes several adverse effects (gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation). This is likely due to the poor bio-availability of inorganic iron requiring the administration of large quantity of ferrous sulphate Lactoferrin was first identified in milk and then in other human epithelial secretions and barrier body fluids. Many different functions have been attributed to lactoferrin, including protection from iron induced lipid peroxidation, immunemodulation and cell growth regulation and transcriptional activation of specific DNA sequences. Lactoferrin also seems to be involved with regulation of bone marrow function (myelopoiesis), and it seems to be able to boost the body’s defense (immune) system. Lactoferrin is a multifunctional protein exhibiting both dependent and independent biological activity based upon its iron binding capacity