Supplementation with Sucrosomial® iron leads to favourable changes in the intestinal microbiome when compared to ferrous sulfate in mice

Abstract

Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide and is often treated with oral iron supplements. However, commonly used supplements, including those based on ferrous iron salts, are associated with gastrointestinal side effects and unfavorable changes in the intestinal microbiome. Sucrosomial® iron is a novel iron formulation that is effective at treating iron deficiency, and with fewer gastrointestinal side effects, yet its effect on the gut microbiome has not been examined previously. Thus, we treated mice for two weeks with diets containing either Sucrosomial® iron or ferrous sulfate as the sole iron source and examined bacterial communities in the intestine using 16S Microbial Profiling of DNA extracted from feces collected both prior to and following dietary treatment. Mice treated with Sucrosomial® iron showed an increase in Shannon diversity over the course of the study. This was associated with a decrease in the abundance of the phylum Proteobacteria, which contains many pathogenic species, and an increase in short chain fatty acid producing bacteria such as Lachnospiraceae, Oscillibacter and Faecalibaculum. None of these changes were observed in mice treated with ferrous sulfate. These results suggest that Sucrosomial® iron may have a beneficial effect on the intestinal microbiome when compared to ferrous sulfate and that this form of iron is a promising alternative to ferrous iron salts for the treatment of iron deficiency.

Gut Microbiome Alterations following Postnatal Iron Supplementation Depend on Iron Form and Persist into Adulthood

“…The changes in bacterial abundance at the phylum and genus levels at both ages imply potential adverse effects to health [ 67 ]. The differential effects of FS and FC on gut bacterial abundance align with recent evidence that the form of iron is relevant when considering health outcomes of iron provision [ 75 , 76 ].…”

“…A recent study in adult mice found that microbiome Shannon diversity effects differed according to iron form—FS or Sucrosomial ® iron—but observed that species richness increased similarly. A reduction in Lactobacillaceae was observed only in Sucrosomial ® iron-treated mice [ 75 ].…”

The Probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei Ameliorates Diarrhea Cause by Escherichia coli O8via Gut Microbiota Modulation1

“…Parabacteroides ( 62 ), Alistipes and Odoribacter ( 63 ) modulate metabolism and produce SCFAs. Here, L. paracasei administration increased the abundance of SCFA-producing bacteria including Oscillibacter ( 64 ), Roseburia , Odoribacter , and Alistipea .…”

Nutritional Aspects of Iron in Health and Disease

“…Heme may favor the growth of Akkermansia muciniphila, a mucin-degrading bacterium, which may lead to disruption of the mucus barrier [135]. Nevertheless, there is evidence suggesting that iron supplementation may be beneficial for the microbiome depending on formulation [136,137]. Additional studies would be needed to evaluate the impact of dietary or various forms of supplementary iron on the intestinal microbiome in the general population and in specific patient groups.…”