title: Effect of retinol on iron bioavailability from Iranian bread in a Caco-2 cell culture model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Iron and vitamin A deficiencies are among the most prevalent nutritional problems. There are no data on iron bioavailability in Iran. In addition, interaction of vitamin A with iron bioavailability is not well documented, so we determined iron bioavailability from the most widely consumed food in Iran, lavash bread, and the effect of vitamin A on this bioavailability.
  
  
  METHODS
  In vivo human studies for determining iron bioavailability are cumbersome, time consuming, and costly to perform, so we used an in vitro model in Caco-2 cells. Bread samples were digested with or without vitamin A (10 microg/1.0 g of dried bread). We used an iron solution containing vitamin C as a positive control. Iron absorption was measured using 59FeCl3. Bioavailability was defined as the percentage of radiolabeled iron taken up and transferred by Caco-2 cells after 1.5 h of incubation. Experiments were carried out two to four times.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean +/- standard deviations for iron bioavailability in bread samples digested without or with additional vitamin A and in controls were 2.53 +/- 1.55%, 6.62 +/- 3.40%, and 20.80 +/- 2.30%, respectively (P < 0.001). Vitamin A caused a 2.62-fold increase in iron absorption from bread samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Iranian lavash bread has low iron bioavailability, but this can be increased by vitamin A supplementation. Increasing vitamin A intake can be considered as a method for increasing iron bioavailability, thus combating iron and vitamin A deficiencies simultaneously.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Biochemistry, Nutrition Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. bahrampg@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Bahram Pourghassem
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Gargari
authors.forename: Seyed Valee
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Razavieh
authors.forename: Soltanali
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahboob
authors.forename: Behrooz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Niknafs
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kooshavar
mesh_terms: D001682:Biological Availability; D001939:Bread; D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007492:Iran; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D007504:Iron Radioisotopes; D019266:Iron, Dietary / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000517:prevention & control; D014815:Vitamins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007504:Iron Radioisotopes; D019266:Iron, Dietary; D014815:Vitamins; D014801:Vitamin A