Chemical characterization of iron (III)-hydroxide-dextrin complexes. A comparative study of commercial preparations with alleged reproductions used in the examination of bioavailability.

The iron (III)-hydroxide-dextrin complexes in two commercial preparations were compared with alleged reproduction which have been prepared for bioavailability studies published recently. Precipitation behaviour in chloride media, kinetics of reduction by ascorbic acid, magnetic susceptibility and laser light scattering data reveal that the original preparations and the alleged reproductions are neither identical nor equivalent in chemical properties. The historical controversy about iron(II) versus iron(III) preparations in oral therapy should be dropped because, on chemical grounds, iron(II) salts are sources of iron(III) species appearing in the gastro-intestinal tract.