Transplacental Passage of Iron-Dextran

Studies on the Placental Transfer in Rats of 59Fe‐ and 14C‐labelled Iron‐poly (sorbitol‐gluconic acid) complex

“…Cotes et al (1966) found, using 59Felabelled iron-dextran in monkey, that each foetus contained 0.25-4.5 % of the maternal dose and that more radioactivity was recovered in foetuses killed five weeks after treatment than in foetuses killed one week after treatment. From studies on the transfer of iron-dextran from mother to foetus in rhesus monkeys and humans Cox et al (1966) concluded that, after infusion of iron-dextran in pregnancy, a small proportion of the in-fused iron crosses the placenta, possibly as unchanged iron-dextran. The iron stores of the off-spring of infused mothers do not contain excessive amounts of iron.…”

Transfer of Iron-Dextran Across the Placenta

“…While the beneficial results of the drug in anemia of pregnancy are frequently reported, studies on its placental transfer are scarce. Cox et al [3] studied the serum iron level and iron-binding capacity in progeny of mothers given iron-dextran infusions and demonstrated that there is no passage of iron-dextran across the placenta once the maternal serum iron level has returned to normal. When the serum iron level is at its peak af ter infusion of the total dose, a small amount of iron is believed to cross the placenta, possibly as unchanged iron-dextran, but the iron stores of the progeny do not contain excessive amounts of iron.…”