Protein Information

Name transferrin
Synonyms Beta 1 metal binding globulin; PRO1400; PRO1557; PRO2086; Serotransferrin; Serotransferrin precursor; Siderophilin; TF…

Compound Information

Name ferrous sulfate
CAS sulfuric acid iron(2+) salt (1:1)

Reference List

PubMed Abstract RScore(About this table)
9741090 Brochu V, Greinier D, Mayrand D: Human transferrin as a source of iron for Streptococcus intermedius. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1998 Sep 1;166(1):127-33.

Adding either ferrous sulfate or holotransferrin to an iron-deficient culture medium allowed growth of S. intermedius.
3(0,0,0,3) Details
10444519 Smirnov IM, Bailey K, Flowers CH, Garrigues NW, Wesselius LJ: Effects of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta on iron metabolism by A549 cells and influence on cytotoxicity. Am J Physiol. 1999 Aug;277(2 Pt 1):L257-63.


Extracellular iron, which is predominantly bound by transferrin, is present in low concentrations within alveolar structures, and concentrations are increased in various pulmonary disorders.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
3367745 Risser WL, Lee EJ, Poindexter HB, West MS, Pivarnik JM, Risser JM, Hickson JF: Iron deficiency in female athletes: its prevalence and impact on performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1988 Apr;20(2):116-21.


All subjects had determinations of hemoglobin, ferritin, and transferrin saturation.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
15448081 Rumberger JM, Peters T Jr, Burrington C, Green A: Transferrin and iron contribute to the lipolytic effect of serum in isolated adipocytes. Diabetes. 2004 Oct;53(10):2535-41.

In addition, ferrous sulfate heptahydrate induced a biphasic increase in the rate of lipolysis, with a maximal increase of 50% at approximately 0.6 microg/ml iron.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
6665652 Dommisse J, Bell DJ, Du Toit ED, Midgley V, Cohen M: Iron-storage deficiency and iron supplementation in pregnancy. S Afr Med J. 1983 Dec 24;64(27):1047-51.


Eighteen per cent had both reduced serum ferritin and raised serum transferrin values without significant anaemia, suggesting covert iron-storage deficiency.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
7054128 Duncan RL Jr, Artis WM: Fungistatic capacity of sera from guinea pigs injected with various iron solutions: differences between Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Rhizopus oryzae. Infect Immun. 1982 Jan;35(1):368-70.


The administration of 2.0 ml of 0.1 M ferric ammonium sulfate, ferric sulfate, or ferric chloride subcutaneously had no significant effect on the SI 3 h after administration, whereas ferric ammonium citrate, ferric citrate, or ferrous sulfate elevated the SI to 50 to 140 times that necessary to saturate the unbound transferrin in normal sera.
0(0,0,0,0) Details
12097660 Donangelo CM, Woodhouse LR, King SM, Viteri FE, King JC: Supplemental zinc lowers measures of iron status in young women with low iron reserves. J Nutr. 2002 Jul;132(7):1860-4.

In the iron-supplemented group, blood hemoglobin, plasma ferritin and the percentage of transferrin saturation increased (P < 0.01).
The effect of zinc supplementation (22 mg Zn/d as zinc gluconate) or of iron supplementation (100 mg Fe/d as ferrous sulfate) for 6 wk on iron and zinc metabolism and absorption was evaluated in young women with low iron reserves.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
7852847 Wang LG, Liu XM, Wikiel H, Bloch A: Activation of casein kinase II in ML-1 human myeloblastic leukemia cells requires IGF-1 and transferrin. J Leukoc Biol. 1995 Feb;57(2):332-4.

2(0,0,0,2) Details
3763274 Hertrampf E, Cayazzo M, Pizarro F, Stekel A: Bioavailability of iron in soy-based formula and its effect on iron nutriture in infancy. Pediatrics. 1986 Oct;78(4):640-5.

Iron bioavailability from a soy formula (Prosobee-PP 710) (iron added as ferrous sulfate: 12 mg/L; ascorbic acid: 54 mg/L) was examined in 16 adult women using the extrinsic radioactive tag method.
Infants fed soy formula and iron-fortified cow's milk had similar mean values of hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, transferrin saturation, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin, and serum ferritin; both formula groups differed significantly (P less than .05) from the breast-fed group in all measurements except free erythrocyte protoporphyrin.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
11916761 Brownlie T 4th, Utermohlen V, Hinton PS, Giordano C, Haas JD: Marginal iron deficiency without anemia impairs aerobic adaptation among previously untrained women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Apr;75(4):734-42.


RESULTS: Six weeks of iron supplementation significantly improved serum ferritin and serum transferrin receptor (sTfR) concentrations and transferrin saturation without affecting hemoglobin concentrations or hematocrit.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
102753 Massa E, MacLean WC Jr, de Romana GL, de Martinez Y, Graham GG: Oral iron absorption in infantile protein-energy malnutrition. J Pediatr. 1978 Dec;93(6):1045-9.


The ability of infants with protein-energy malnutrition to absorb iron was assessed using the serum iron response to a dose of ferrous sulfate providing 3 mg elemental iron per kg body weight.
0(0,0,0,0) Details
15447900 Hunt JR, Zeng H: Iron absorption by heterozygous carriers of the HFE C282Y mutation associated with hemochromatosis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Oct;80(4):924-31.


CONCLUSIONS: HFE C282Y-heterozygous subjects did not absorb dietary iron more efficiently, even when foods were highly fortified with iron from ferrous sulfate and ascorbic acid, than did control subjects.
0(0,0,0,0) Details
4066687 Landschulz W, Ekblom P: Iron delivery during proliferation and differentiation of kidney tubules. J Biol Chem. 1985 Dec 15;260(29):15580-4.

Some other low molecular weight, saturated iron chelators such as glycyl-histidyl-lysine acetate, nitrilotriacetic acid, ascorbate, citrate, and unchelated ferrous sulfate could not support as high a degree of proliferation as FePIH or transferrin.
FePIH delivered just slightly less radioactive iron into the trichloroacetic acid-precipitable fraction than transferrin.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
6726596 Wallenburg HC, van Eijk HG: Effect of oral iron supplementation during pregnancy on maternal and fetal iron status. J Perinat Med. 1984;12(1):7-12.


Maternal concentrations of hemoglobin, serum iron, serum transferrin and serum ferritin were determined at 16, 28 and 36 weeks of amenorrhea, at delivery, and 6 and 12 weeks post partum.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
4056038 Brissot P, Wright TL, Ma WL, Weisiger RA: Efficient clearance of non-transferrin-bound iron by rat liver. J Clin Invest. 1985 Oct;76(4):1463-70.

2(0,0,0,2) Details
11074539 Barton JC, Bottomley SS: Iron deficiency due to excessive therapeutic phlebotomy in hemochromatosis. Am J Hematol. 2000 Nov;65(3):223-6.

Levels of transferrin saturation were 10% +/- 5% (1 SD), and serum ferritin concentrations were 8 +/- 3 ng/mL.
Ten of the patients were treated with ferrous sulfate, 325 mg daily, for 2-6 weeks when anemia was corrected.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
17035697 Agarwal R, Rizkala AR, Bastani B, Kaskas MO, Leehey DJ, Besarab A: A randomized controlled trial of oral versus intravenous iron in chronic kidney disease. Am J Nephrol. 2006;26(5):445-54. Epub 2006 Oct 11.

METHODS: The participants were randomized to receive either a sodium ferric gluconate complex (intravenous iron) 250 mg i.v. weekly x 4 or ferrous sulfate (oral iron) 325 mg t.i.d. x 42 days.
Hemoglobin (Hgb), ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) were measured serially, and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQoL) questionnaire was administered on days 1 and 43.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
9746616 Jarosik GP, Land CB, Duhon P, Chandler R Jr, Mercer T: Acquisition of iron by Gardnerella vaginalis. Infect Immun. 1998 Oct;66(10):5041-7.


In a plate bioassay, all six strains acquired iron from ferrous chloride, ferric chloride, ferrous sulfate, ferric ammonium citrate, ferrous ammonium sulfate, bovine and equine hemin, bovine catalase, and equine, bovine, rabbit, and human hemoglobin.
0(0,0,0,0) Details
7991433 Aufricht C, Ties M, Wimmer M, Haschke F, Pietschnig B, Herkner K: Iron supplementation in children after cardiopulmonary bypass for surgical repair of congenital heart disease. Pediatr Cardiol. 1994 Jul-Aug;15(4):167-9.


Hemoglobin, reticulocytes, transferrin saturation, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin, and ferritin were measured, the final outcome measure being postoperative iron status on day 56.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
3789896 Schlesinger D, Lesko D, Halasa J, Manczak M: Transferrin subtypes in the Polish population. Arch Immunol Ther Exp. 1986;34(2):143-8.

2(0,0,0,2) Details
18986010 Factor KF: Anemia management in peritoneal dialysis patients: can an iron supplement maintain a normal transferrin saturation and hemoglobin level?. Adv Perit Dial. 2008;24:96-8.

2(0,0,0,2) Details
11045266 Ahsan N: Infusion of total dose iron versus oral iron supplementation in ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients: a prospective, cross-over trial. Adv Perit Dial. 2000;16:80-4.

Eleven stable CAPD patients with an hematocrit (Hct) of less than 33%, or a transferrin saturation (TSAT) of less than 30%, or both, were entered into the study.
The study design included an oral phase [4 months, ferrous sulfate 325 mg (195 mg elemental iron), three times daily], a "wash-out" phase (1 month, no iron supplementation), and an ITDI phase [4 months, single infusion over 4 hours of 1 g iron dextran mixed in 1/2 normal saline].
1(0,0,0,1) Details
8226711 Jacobs P, Fransman D, Coghlan P: Comparative bioavailability of ferric polymaltose and ferrous sulphate in iron-deficient blood donors. J Clin Apher. 1993;8(2):89-95.


Similarly, the proportion of patients improving their percentage saturation of transferrin to within the normal range was significantly better in Groups 1 and 3 than in Group 2 (P < .01).
1(0,0,0,1) Details
18499399 Mimura EC, Bregano JW, Dichi JB, Gregorio EP, Dichi I: Comparison of ferrous sulfate and ferrous glycinate chelate for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in gastrectomized patients. Nutrition. 2008 Jul-Aug;24(7-8):663-8. Epub 2008 May 21.

RESULTS: Group 1 showed an apparent recovery in laboratory parameters, with increases in medium corpuscular hemoglobin (P = 0.02), serum iron (P = 0.02), and ferritin (P = 0.04), and a decrease in transferrin (P = 0.002) after 4 mo.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
2127939 Nasr-Esfahani M, Johnson MH, Aitken RJ: The effect of iron and iron chelators on the in-vitro block to development of the mouse preimplantation embryo: BAT6 a new medium for improved culture of mouse embryos in vitro. Hum Reprod. 1990 Nov;5(8):997-1003.


The high affinity iron chelator, desferal, also blocked development, whilst transferrin (whether as apoprotein or saturated with iron), DETAPAC and EDTA promoted development.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
2307220 Borch-Iohnsen B, Myhre K, Norheim G: Hypoxia and deposition of iron in liver and spleen of mice given iron supplement. Eur J Haematol. 1990 Jan;44(1):56-62.


Transferrin saturation fell from about 60 to about 20% during hypoxia and normalized during normoxia.
2(0,0,0,2) Details
7774536 Hallberg L, Hulthen L, Bengtsson C, Lapidus L, Lindstedt G: Iron balance in menstruating women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1995 Mar;49(3):200-7.


OBJECTIVES: To study factors determining iron balance in menstruating women by examining the relationships between total iron requirements, based on menstrual iron losses and basal iron losses, and serum ferritin concentration, transferrin saturation, blood haemoglobin concentration, bone marrow haemosiderin and absorption of iron from a test dose of ferrous sulphate (0.56 mg Fe).
2(0,0,0,2) Details
4090918 Sottano de Russo EY, Ortiz AM, Cassone E: [Secretin and pancreatic secretion in iron absorption] . Acta Gastroenterol Latinoam. 1985;15(1):1-5.


Plasma Iron values remained without changes one hour after the iron administration, as well as TIBC, % saturation and transferrin values.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
16100069 Rincker MJ, Clarke SL, Eisenstein RS, Link JE, Hill GM: Effects of iron supplementation on binding activity of iron regulatory proteins and the subsequent effect on growth performance and indices of hematological and mineral status of young pigs. J Anim Sci. 2005 Sep;83(9):2137-45.

Pigs were bled (d 0 and 13) to determine hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), transferrin (Tf), and plasma Fe (PFe), and then killed (d 13) to determine spontaneous and 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME)-inducible IRP RNA binding activity in liver and liver and whole-body mineral concentrations.
In Exp. 2, pigs (six pigs per treatment; 6.5 kg; age = 19 +/- 3 d) were fed a basal diet (Phase 1 = d 0 to 7; Phase 2 = d 7 to 21; Phase 3 = d 21 to 35) supplemented with 0 or 150 mg/kg of Fe as ferrous sulfate and killed at d 35 (18.3 kg; age = 54 +/- 3 d).
1(0,0,0,1) Details
2428547 Royse VL, Greenhill E, Morley CG, Jensen DM: Microheterogeneity of human transferrin as revealed by agarose gel electrophoresis with an iron-specific stain. Clin Chem. 1986 Oct;32(10):1983.

1(0,0,0,1) Details
2757026 Van Wyck DB: Iron management during recombinant human erythropoietin therapy. Am J Kidney Dis. 1989 Aug;14(2 Suppl 1):9-13.

A plasma ferritin level of less than 30 ng/mL or a transferrin saturation level of less than 20% confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency.
In all patients except those with transfusional iron overload, prophylactic supplementation with ferrous sulfate (325 mg up to three times daily) is recommended.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
2485578 Olivares M, Walter T, Hertrampf E, Pizarro F, Stekel A: Prevention of iron deficiency by milk fortification. Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl. 1989;361:109-13.

Saturation of Transferrin less than 9% was present in 33.8% and serum ferritin less than 10 micrograms/l in 39.1% of the nonfortified infants.
Initially a field study involving the simple addition of ferrous sulfate to a low-fat powdered milk was only partially successful due to the relatively low iron absorption from this product.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
12746164 Tavil B, Sipahi T, Gokce H, Akar N: Effect of twice weekly versus daily iron treatment in Turkish children with iron deficiency anemia. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2003 Jun;20(4):319-26.


With respect to certain parameters, such as red cell distribution, serum iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation, transferrin receptor, and transferrin receptor/log ferritin, however, intermittent treatment was superior to the conventional treatment method (p <.05).
1(0,0,0,1) Details
8136731 Cardoso MA, Colli C, Garcia PB, Ferreira MU, Penteado MV, Andrade Junior HF: Effect of dietary iron on the course of Plasmodium berghei malaria in young rats. Braz J Med Biol Res. 1993 Dec;26(12):1297-303.

Ferrous sulfate (FeSO4 x 7H2O) was added to the normal-iron and iron-supplemented diets (groups 2 and 3, respectively).
After 16 days of regimen, eight rats from each group were killed to measure serum iron concentration (SI) and transferrin saturation capacity (TSC).
1(0,0,0,1) Details
9502420 Cable EE, Connor JR, Isom HC: Accumulation of iron by primary rat hepatocytes in long-term culture: changes in nuclear shape mediated by non-transferrin-bound forms of iron. Am J Pathol. 1998 Mar;152(3):781-92.

Hepatocytes in long-term DMSO culture can be iron loaded by exposure to non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) in the form of ferrous sulfate (FeSO4), ferric nitrilotriacetate, or trimethylhexanoyl (TMH)-ferrocene.
82(1,1,1,2) Details
9756115 Bhandari S, Brownjohn A, Turney J: Effective utilization of erythropoietin with intravenous iron therapy. J Clin Pharm Ther. 1998 Feb;23(1):73-8.


Serum ferritin levels (P < 0.0001) rose significantly, while a reduction in transferrin saturation (TS) became significant at the end of the study (P=0.0047).
1(0,0,0,1) Details
1309510 Agiato LA, Dyer DW: Siderophore production and membrane alterations by Bordetella pertussis in response to iron starvation. Infect Immun. 1992 Jan;60(1):117-23.


Lactoferrin and transferrin supported growth of B. pertussis even when the protein was sequestered inside dialysis tubing.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
8889596 Keenan J, Clynes M: Replacement of transferrin by simple iron compounds for MDCK cells grown and subcultured in serum-free medium. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim. 1996 Sep;32(8):451-3.

1(0,0,0,1) Details
3788834 Walter T, Arredondo S, Arevalo M, Stekel A: Effect of iron therapy on phagocytosis and bactericidal activity in neutrophils of iron-deficient infants. Am J Clin Nutr. 1986 Dec;44(6):877-82.

All infants had hemoglobins less than 11 mg/dL with low saturation of transferrin and serum ferritin but were otherwise in good health.
After 3-5 days of ferrous sulfate administration, there was no significant improvement.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
8806853 Kulp KS, Vulliet PR: Mimosine blocks cell cycle progression by chelating iron in asynchronous human breast cancer cells. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 1996 Aug;139(2):356-64.

These effects were antagonized by the addition of iron as ferrous sulfate (250 microM), which is bound to transferrin and imported into the cell via transferrin receptor endocytosis, or as hemin (100 microM), which passes through the cell membrane and releases iron into the cytosol.
81(1,1,1,1) Details
3958058 Sertich GJ, Glass JR, Fuller DJ, Gerner EW: Altered polyamine metabolism in Chinese hamster cells growing in a defined medium. J Cell Physiol. 1986 Apr;127(1):114-20.

Chinese hamster cells (line CHO) maintained in McCoy's 5A medium (modified) supplemented with insulin (10 micrograms/ml), transferrin (5 micrograms/ml), and ferrous sulfate (1.1 microgram/ml) proliferate at rates similar to cultures growing in the McCoy's medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum.
37(0,1,2,2) Details
3749034 Bergamaschi G, Eng MJ, Huebers HA, Finch CA: The effect of transferrin saturation on internal iron exchange. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1986 Oct;183(1):66-73.

Radioiron introduced into the lumen of the gut as ferrous sulfate and as transferrin-bound iron was absorbed about half as well in iron-infused animals, and absorbed iron was localized in the liver.
34(0,1,1,4) Details
2628746 Bergmann R, Bergler H, Moshoudis E, Bergmann E, Lachmann E, Bergmann KE: [Preventing iron deficiency in breast-fed infants by suitable supplementary food. Monatsschr Kinderheilkd. 1989 Dec;137(12):775-9.


At 6 months of age values of hemoglobin, MCV, serum iron, ferritin, and transferrin saturation were higher in the meat dinner group compared to the cereal first group.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
3167502 Mahlamaki E, Mahlamaki S: Iron deficiency in adolescent female dancers. Br J Sports Med. 1988 Jun;22(2):55-6.


The concentrations of fasting blood haemoglobin, serum iron, serum transferrin and serum ferritin were determined.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
8825744 Chyka PA, Mandrell TD, Holley JE, Beegle BE: Relationship of serum iron and nonprotein-bound iron concentrations following administration of ferrous sulfate in pigs. Vet Hum Toxicol. 1996 Feb;38(1):24-6.

The absence of protein, particularly transferrin and albumin, was verified by electrophoresis.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
18928998 Seid MH, Derman RJ, Baker JB, Banach W, Goldberg C, Rogers R: Ferric carboxymaltose injection in the treatment of postpartum iron deficiency anemia: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008 Oct;199(4):435.e1-7.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose, compared with oral ferrous sulfate in women with postpartum anemia.
RESULTS: Ferric carboxymaltose-treated subjects were significantly more likely to: (1) achieve a hemoglobin greater than 12 g/dL in a shorter time period with a sustained hemoglobin greater than 12 g/dL at day 42, (2) achieve hemoglobin rise 3 g/dL or greater more quickly, and (3) attain higher serum transferrin saturation and ferritin levels.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
7257364 Dallman PR: Iron deficiency: diagnosis and treatment. West J Med. 1981 Jun;134(6):496-505.

Other laboratory tests that may be helpful in selected cases include determining serum ferritin, transferrin saturation or erythrocyte protoporphyrin values.
However, in most cases, a simple therapeutic trial with ferrous sulfate may be instituted on the basis of history and a screening test alone.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
3534124 Gordeuk VR, Brittenham GM, McLaren GD, Spagnuolo PJ: Hyperferremia in immunosuppressed patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia and the risk of infection. J Lab Clin Med. 1986 Nov;108(5):466-72.

Growth of inocula of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was significantly greater (1.3- to 5.8-fold) in fresh or heat-inactivated sera obtained from 10 healthy volunteers 3 hours after oral ingestion of ferrous sulfate (mean +/- SEM transferrin saturation 95% +/- 3%) than before (transferrin saturation 34% +/- 10%).
34(0,1,1,4) Details
11688081 Szarfarc SC, de Cassana LM, Fujimori E, Guerra-Shinohara EM, de Oliveira IM: Relative effectiveness of iron bis-glycinate chelate (Ferrochel) and ferrous sulfate in the control of iron deficiency in pregnant women. Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2001 Mar;51(1 Suppl 1):42-7.

The relative effectiveness of daily supplementation of iron deficiency during pregnancy using 15 mg/day of iron from iron-bis-glycinate chelate (71 pregnant women), or 40 mg iron from ferrous sulfate (74 pregnant women) was evaluated by measuring hemoglobin, transferrin saturation and serum ferritin, at the beginning of the study (< 20 weeks of pregnancy) and at 20-30 weeks and 30-40 weeks thereafter.
31(0,1,1,1) Details
3341258 Stekel A, Olivares M, Cayazzo M, Chadud P, Llaguno S, Pizarro F: Prevention of iron deficiency by milk fortification. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Feb;47(2):265-9.

In a longitudinal study from age 3 to 15 mo, 276 term, healthy, spontaneously weaned infants received a full-fat acidified milk fortified with 15 mg of elemental Fe as ferrous sulfate and 100 mg of ascorbic acid/100 g of powder and 278 control infants received milk without additives.
Saturation of transferrin less than 9% was present in 33.8% and serum ferritin less than 10 micrograms/L in 39.1% of the nonfortified infants.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
9239288 Franco E, Hertrampf E, Hazbun J, Segu S, Illanes JC, Palacios L, Figueroa G, Orellana J: [Iron supplementation in Chilean Mapuche infants of the Cautin Province, Chile]. Arch Latinoam Nutr. 1996 Jun;46(2):118-21.

A 1.8 ml iron supplementation of ferrous sulfate is administered for 90 days to 76 Mapuche infants, 12 months of age, male and female, from the rural area of the Cautin province of Chile.
The iron nutrition is evaluated before and after the supplementation, through: hemoglobin, haematocrit, transferrin saturation and seric ferritin.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
7173328 Perez-Infante V, Mather JP: The role of transferrin in the growth of testicular cell lines in serum-free medium. Exp Cell Res. 1982 Dec;142(2):325-32.

1(0,0,0,1) Details
11201567 Pearson EG, Andreasen CB: Effect of oral administration of excessive iron in adult ponies. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2001 Feb 1;218(3):400-4.

PROCEDURE: 4 ponies received 50 mg of iron/kg (22.7 mg/lb) of body weight each day by oral administration of ferrous sulfate, which contained 20% elemental iron; 2 ponies received only the carrier (applesauce).
RESULTS: Hepatic iron concentrations, serum iron concentrations, percentage saturation of transferrin, and serum ferritin concentrations were increased, compared with baseline and control concentrations, by week 8.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
3418418 Taylor P, Martinez-Torres C, Leets I, Ramirez J, Garcia-Casal MN, Layrisse M: Relationships among iron absorption, percent saturation of plasma transferrin and serum ferritin concentration in humans. J Nutr. 1988 Sep;118(9):1110-5.

The percent absorption of iron from four dietary sources was compared in 2018 human subjects with three indicators of iron status, serum ferritin concentration, percent saturation of plasma transferrin and iron absorption from a reference dose of ferrous sulfate.
9(0,0,1,4) Details
6469273 Amouric M, Marvaldi J, Pichon J, Bellot F, Figarella C: Effect of lactoferrin on the growth of a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line--comparison with transferrin. In Vitro. 1984 Jul;20(7):543-8.

Lactoferrin was examined for its effect on the growth of a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (HT 29) in culture and its action was compared to that produced by transferrin and two different iron solutions (ferrous sulfate and ferric chloride).
9(0,0,1,4) Details
8052789 Morais MB, Ferrari AA, Fisberg M: Effect of oral iron therapy on physical growth. Rev Paul Med. 1993 Nov-Dec;111(6):439-44.

In order to evaluate the effects of iron therapy on weight and height, we studied 65 children with a mean age of 32 months who were assigned to oral iron therapy with 4-5 mg/kg/day of elemental iron as ferrous sulfate or ferric hydroxide polymaltose for 8 weeks.
Statistically significant increases in hemoglobin, serum iron and transferrin levels and in transferrin saturation and ferritin levels were observed.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
11751551 Siek G, Lawlor J, Pelczar D, Sane M, Musto J: Direct serum total iron-binding capacity assay suitable for automated analyzers. Clin Chem. 2002 Jan;48(1):161-6.

No interference was seen with common interferants other than ascorbate, deferoxamine, and ferrous sulfate, and only at concentrations well above normal.
The decrease in absorbance (as transferrin extracts iron from the iron-dye complex) is directly proportional to the TIBC.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
15377970 Pitsis GC, Fallon KE, Fallon SK, Fazakerley R: Response of soluble transferrin receptor and iron-related parameters to iron supplementation in elite, iron-depleted, nonanemic female athletes. Clin J Sport Med. 2004 Sep;14(5):300-4.

Serum ferritin increased (19.7 to 37.4 ng/mL; P < 0.00005), serum transferrin decreased (3.34 to 3.16 g/L; P = 0.023), sTfR decreased (3.46 to 3.16 mg/L; P = 0.006), and sTfR/log ferritin index decreased (1.34 to 1.00; P < 0.00005).
INTERVENTION: Ingestion of 1 iron tablet (325 mg dried ferrous sulfate, equivalent to 105 mg elemental iron) plus one 500-mg tablet of vitamin C each morning for 60 days.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
15113952 Pena-Rosas JP, Nesheim MC, Garcia-Casal MN, Crompton DW, Sanjur D, Viteri FE, Frongillo EA, Lorenzana P: Intermittent iron supplementation regimens are able to maintain safe maternal hemoglobin concentrations during pregnancy in Venezuela. J Nutr. 2004 May;134(5):1099-104.

Women were randomly allocated to receive a 120-mg oral dose of iron as ferrous sulfate and 0.5 mg of folic acid weekly (n = 52) or 60 mg iron and 0.25 mg folic acid and a placebo twice weekly (n = 44).
Hb, hematocrit, serum ferritin, and transferrin saturation were estimated at baseline and at 36-39 wk of gestation.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
19405553 Lyseng-Williamson KA, Keating GM: Ferric carboxymaltose: a review of its use in iron-deficiency anaemia. . Drugs. 2009;69(6):739-56. doi: 10.2165/00003495-200969060-00007.

Ferric carboxymaltose was at least as effective as ferrous sulfate with regard to endpoints related to serum ferritin levels, transferrin saturation and HR-QOL.
9(0,0,1,4) Details
3169492 Levine DS, Huebers HA, Rubin CE, Finch CA: Blocking action of parenteral desferrioxamine on iron absorption in rodents and men. Gastroenterology. 1988 Nov;95(5):1242-8.

Radioiron administered as ferrous sulfate or as transferrin iron was given to the volunteers by mouth or by direct duodenal infusion, respectively, with or without intravenous infusions of DFO.
9(0,0,1,4) Details
7119114 Huebers H, Uvelli D, Celada A, Josephson B, Finch C: Basis of plasma iron exchange in the rabbit. J Clin Invest. 1982 Oct;70(4):769-79.


Rabbit transferrin in vitro is shown to load ferrous iron at random on its specific binding sites.
8(0,0,0,8) Details
12481145 Trivedi HS, Brooks BJ: Erythropoietin therapy in pre-dialysis patients with chronic renal failure: lack of need for parenteral iron. Am J Nephrol. 2003 Mar-Apr;23(2):78-85.


BACKGROUND: During erythropoietin therapy, scant information exists regarding the optimal target percent saturation of transferrin (TSAT), ferritin and the mode and amount of iron supplementation in pre-dialysis patients with anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD).
1(0,0,0,1) Details
8789625 Dutra-de-Oliveira JE, Freitas ML, Ferreira JF, Goncalves AL, Marchini JS: Iron from complex salts and its bioavailability to rats. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1995;65(4):272-5.

Weight gain, hemoglobin, hematocrit, transferrin saturation, iron hemoglobin, biodisponibility and relative iron biological values were calculated.
Their iron biodisponibility was compared to that of ferrous sulfate.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
15542465 Rincker MJ, Hill GM, Link JE, Rowntree JE: Effects of dietary iron supplementation on growth performance, hematological status, and whole-body mineral concentrations of nursery pigs. J Anim Sci. 2004 Nov;82(11):3189-97.

Basal diets for each phase (Phase 1: d 0 to 7; Phase 2: d 7 to 21; Phase 3: d 21 to 35) were formulated to contain minimal Fe concentration and then supplemented with 0, 25, 50, 100, and 150 mg Fe/kg of diet (as-fed basis) from ferrous sulfate.
Three pigs per pen (n = 135) were chosen and bled throughout (d 0, 7, 21, and 35) to determine hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), transferrin (Tf), and plasma Fe (PFe).
1(0,0,0,1) Details
12032466 Podesta A, Parodi E, Dottori V, Crivellari R, Passerone GC: Epoetin alpha in elective coronary and valve surgery in Jehovah's Witnesses patients. Minerva Cardioangiol. 2002 Apr;50(2):125-31.


Hematochemical levels (hemoglobin, free hemoglobin, hematocrit, ferritin, transferrin, haptoglobin, reticulocytes, iron levels) were monitored from admission to Day Hospital to discharge.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
17206511 Horl WH: Iron therapy for renal anemia: how much needed, how much harmful? . Pediatr Nephrol. 2007 Apr;22(4):480-9. Epub 2007 Jan 6.


Iron status can be monitored by different parameters such as ferritin, transferrin saturation, percentage of hypochromic red blood cells, and/or the reticulocyte hemoglobin content, but an increased erythropoietic response to iron supplementation is the most widely accepted reference standard of iron-deficient erythropoiesis.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
10431735 Kulda J, Poislova M, Suchan P, Tachezy J: Iron enhancement of experimental infection of mice by Tritrichomonas foetus. Parasitol Res. 1999 Aug;85(8-9):692-9.


Consistent with these findings, the strain of lower virulence (KV-1) showed considerably lower efficiency accumulating radiolabeled iron from transferrin and a low-molecular source [Fe (III) nitrilotriacetic acid] in vitro.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
7112553 Tanno Y, Arai S, Takishima T: Iron-containing proteins augment responses of human lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin and pokeweek mitogen in serum-free medium. Tohoku J Exp Med. 1982 Jul;137(3):335-43.

Hemoglobin, transferrin and ferritin enhanced the incorporation of 3H-thymidine into DNA after PHA-stimulation of lymphocytes, while hemin, iron metal powder, ferrous sulfate, chromium powder, and zinc sulfate have little effect.
7(0,0,1,2) Details
16887629 Daniel C, Bissinger MC, Courcol RJ: Effects of host iron transport compounds on growth kinetics and outer-membrane protein expression of Bilophila wadsworthia. Anaerobe. 1998 Apr;4(2):103-9.

Since the environmental iron concentration has emerged as an important attribute in the expression of bacterial virulence, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of transferrin, lactoferrin, heme compounds, and inorganic iron sources (ferric and ferrous sulfate) on the growth of Bilophila wadsworthia and to study its outer membrane composition when grown under these different simulated in vivo conditions.
7(0,0,1,2) Details
1967865 Hammar H, Acevedo F, Naito S: Transferrin and epidermal growth. Acta Derm Venereol. 1990;70(1):11-7.

7(0,0,0,7) Details
2773847 Soemantri AG: Preliminary findings on iron supplementation and learning achievement of rural Indonesian children. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Sep;50(3 Suppl):698-701; discussion 701-2.

The children were classified into anemic and nonanemic groups according to their initial hemoglobin and transferrin saturation levels and were randomly assigned to either iron or placebo treatment for 3 mo.
The means and standard deviations suggest that supplementation with 10 mg ferrous sulfate per kilogram body weight per day for 3 mo resulted in an apparent improvement in anemic subjects' hematological status and learning-achievement scores.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
4072957 Soemantri AG, Pollitt E, Kim I: Iron deficiency anemia and educational achievement. Am J Clin Nutr. 1985 Dec;42(6):1221-8.


Iron treatment for a 3-mo period resulted in substantive increases in mean Hgb, Hct, and transferrin saturation among the iron-deficient anemic children.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
2539287 Kumamoto S, Ono J, Tanaka Y, Takaki R: Serum-free culture of insulin-secreting clonal cells from a hamster insulinoma. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 1989 Jan 3;6(1):1-7.

In addition to testing different varieties of basal media, we also experimented with different concentrations of known stimulants of cell proliferation, including transferrin, ferrous sulfate, insulin, epidermal growth factor, triiodothyronine, hydrocortisone, monoethanolamine, prolactin, proteose peptone, and selenium.
7(0,0,1,2) Details
7040427 Tsao MC, Walthall BJ, Ham RG: Clonal growth of normal human epidermal keratinocytes in a defined medium. J Cell Physiol. 1982 Feb;110(2):219-29.

Most of the requirement for transferrin, which is the least defined component of the defined medium, can be replaced by adding freshly dissolved and sterilized ferrous sulfate to the final medium after it has been filter sterilized.
7(0,0,1,2) Details
7934135 Stone RM, Bernstein SH, Demetri G, Facklam DP, Arthur K, Andersen J, Aster JC, Kufe D: Therapy with recombinant human erythropoietin in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. Leuk Res. 1994 Oct;18(10):769-76.

Ferrous sulfate (325 mg po tid) was also administered if the transferrin saturation was below 30% (two patients).
6(0,0,1,1) Details
3348161 Chwang LC, Soemantri AG, Pollitt E: Iron supplementation and physical growth of rural Indonesian children. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Mar;47(3):496-501.


The children were classified into anemic and normal groups according to their initial hemoglobin and transferrin saturation levels and were randomly assigned to either Fe or placebo treatment for 12 wk.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
2709674 Van Wyck DB, Stivelman JC, Ruiz J, Kirlin LF, Katz MA, Ogden DA: Iron status in patients receiving erythropoietin for dialysis-associated anemia. Kidney Int. 1989 Feb;35(2):712-6.

Of 22 patients predicted to develop iron deficiency (mean projected deficit 268 +/- 70 mg), 20 developed evidence of exhausted iron stores (transferrin %sat less than 16 or ferritin less than 30 micrograms/liter) before reaching target hemoglobin; two predicted to become deficient (projected deficit less than 100 mg) did not; and all five predicted to avoid iron deficiency (mean projected surplus 177 +/- 20 mg) remained iron replete.
During acute rHuEPO therapy net body iron balance remained neutral in patients receiving no iron supplements and increased 5 mg/kg in patients prescribed oral ferrous sulfate.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
1733569 Walker C, Ginsler J: Development of a quantitative in vitro transformation assay for kidney epithelial cells. Carcinogenesis. 1992 Jan;13(1):25-32.

RKE cells were grown in a 50:50 mixture of 3T3 conditioned medium and DF8 medium composed of Ham's F-12/DMEM supplemented with ferrous sulfate, vasopressin, transferrin, sodium selenite and 10% fetal bovine serum.
6(0,0,1,1) Details
17470544 Slepenkin A, Enquist PA, Hagglund U, de la Maza LM, Elofsson M, Peterson EM: Reversal of the antichlamydial activity of putative type III secretion inhibitors by iron. Infect Immun. 2007 Jul;75(7):3478-89. Epub 2007 Apr 30.

Iron, supplied as ferrous sulfate, as ferric chloride, or as holo-transferrin, was able to negate the antichlamydial properties of the INPs.
6(0,0,1,1) Details
7448423 Bauer W, Stray S, Huebers H, Finch C: The relationship between plasma iron and plasma iron turnover in the rat. Blood. 1981 Feb;57(2):239-42.

Consistent data were obtained with the intravenous injection of radioiron in the form of ferrous sulfate or ferric citrate.
Only part of this effect in the rat was due to the different rates of clearance of mono-and differic transferrin, the latter having a higher iron delivery rate in vivo.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
7571614 Roszkowska-Blaim M, Korniszewska J, Makarewicz W: [Assessment of iron absorption in children with chronic renal insufficiency]. Wiad Lek. 1994 Sep;47(17-18):659-65.


Flat curve of absorption was found in both groups of patients with increased stores of systemic iron and high values of transferrin saturation index (TSI).
1(0,0,0,1) Details
17691593 Toblli JE, Brignoli R: Iron (III)-hydroxide polymaltose complex in iron deficiency anemia / review and meta-analysis. Arzneimittelforschung. 2007;57(6A):431-8.


By reviewing the published literature an overview is provided of the existing comparative evidence vs. ferrous sulfate as reference.
0(0,0,0,0) Details
17311950 Swain JH, Johnson LK, Hunt JR: Electrolytic iron or ferrous sulfate increase body iron in women with moderate to low iron stores. J Nutr. 2007 Mar;137(3):620-7.

0(0,0,0,0) Details
7872321 Wingard RL, Parker RA, Ismail N, Hakim RM: Efficacy of oral iron therapy in patients receiving recombinant human erythropoietin. Am J Kidney Dis. 1995 Mar;25(3):433-9.

The efficacy of oral iron is variable in these patients, and many require the use of intravenous iron dextran to maintain adequate iron levels, defined as transferrin saturation greater than 20%, serum ferritin greater than 100 ng/mL, and serum iron greater than 80 micrograms/dL.
These four preparations included Chromagen (ferrous fumarate; Savage Laboratories, Melville, NY), Feosol (ferrous sulfate; SmithKline Beecham, Inc, Pittsburgh, PA), Niferex (polysaccharide; Central Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Seymour, IN), or Tabron (ferrous fumarate; Parke-Davis, Morris Plains, NJ).
4(0,0,0,4) Details
1856885 Barakat-Walter I, Deloulme JC, Sensenbrenner M, Labourdette G: Proliferation of chick embryo neuroblasts grown in the presence of horse serum requires exogenous transferrin. J Neurosci Res. 1991 Mar;28(3):391-8.

4(0,0,0,4) Details
1432267 Kim M, Atallah MT: Structure of dietary pectin, iron bioavailability and hemoglobin repletion in anemic rats. J Nutr. 1992 Nov;122(11):2298-305.

The anemic rats were then fed a ferrous sulfate-supplemented basal diet (47 mg Fe/kg diet) or the basal diet containing one of the pectins (80 g/kg diet) for 10 d.
Compared with control rats fed with ad libitum access or pair-fed, rats fed P-B showed higher (P < 0.05) hemoglobin regeneration efficiency, hematocrit, serum iron concentration, and transferrin saturation, and lower unsaturated iron-binding capacity and total iron-binding capacity.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
17338998 Beck-da-Silva L, Rohde LE, Pereira-Barretto AC, de Albuquerque D, Bocchi E, Vilas-Boas F, Moura LZ, Montera MW, Rassi S, Clausell N: Rationale and design of the IRON-HF study: a randomized trial to assess the effects of iron supplementation in heart failure patients with anemia. J Card Fail. 2007 Feb;13(1):14-7.

METHODS AND RESULTS: IRON-HF study is a multicenter, investigator initiated, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial that will enroll anemic HF patients with relatively preserved renal function, low transferrin saturation, low iron levels, and low to moderately elevated ferritin levels.
Interventions are iron sucrose intravenously 200 mg once per week for 5 weeks, ferrous sulfate 200 mg by mouth 3 times per day for 8 weeks, or placebo.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
7960194 Dunea G, Swagel MA, Bodiwala U, Arruda JA: Intra-dialytic oral iron therapy. Int J Artif Organs. 1994 May;17(5):261-4.


In these studies the patients received supervised iron therapy as 3-4 ferrous sulfate (325 mg) tablets during each dialysis.
0(0,0,0,0) Details
11192518 Yalcin SS, Yurdakok K, Acikgoz D, Ozmert E: Short-term developmental outcome of iron prophylaxis in infants. Pediatr Int. 2000 Dec;42(6):625-30.


Infants were randomly assigned to take ferrous sulfate supplementation (1 mg/kg per day) or no supplementation and were followed for 3 months.
0(0,0,0,0) Details
8314362 Stobie S, Tyberg J, Matsui D, Fernandes D, Klein J, Olivieri N, Bentur Y, Koren G: Comparison of the pharmacokinetics of 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-one (L1) in healthy volunteers, with and without co-administration of ferrous sulfate, to thalassemia patients. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol. 1993 Dec;31(12):602-5.

0(0,0,0,0) Details
6280171 Trowbridge IS, Lopez F: Monoclonal antibody to transferrin receptor blocks transferrin binding and inhibits human tumor cell growth in vitro. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Feb;79(4):1175-9.

The addition of iron to antibody-treated cultures in the form of ferric complexes or ferrous sulfate did not overcome the growth inhibitory effects of the anti-transferrin-receptor antibodies.
4(0,0,0,4) Details
8611642 Rojanasakul Y, Shi X, Deshpande D, Liang WW, Wang LY: Protection against oxidative injury and permeability alteration in cultured alveolar epithelium by transferrin-catalase conjugate. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1996 Jan 17;1315(1):21-8.

4(0,0,0,4) Details
3759957 Bakker GR, Boyer RF: Iron incorporation into apoferritin. J Biol Chem. 1986 Oct 5;261(28):13182-5.


Ferroxidase activity is assayed and characterized by coupling the oxidation with the binding of Fe (III) to transferrin.
3(0,0,0,3) Details
9201139 Rapetti MC, Donato H, de Galvagni A, Lubovitsky M, Lanzilotta M, Trepacka E, Burlando G, Weill R: Correction of iron deficiency with an iron-fortified fluid whole cow's milk in children: results of a pilot study. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 1997 May-Jun;19(3):192-6.

PURPOSE: This study assesses the efficacy of an iron-fortified (15 mg Fe, as stabilized ferrous sulfate (SFE-171), per liter) fluid whole cow's milk (IFFWCM) for the treatment of mild iron deficiency in children.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventeen children (12 to 48 months old) with iron deficiency (serum iron (SI) < 60 micrograms/dl, transferrin saturation (TS) < 15%, serum ferritin (SF) < 15 ng/ml) were included in this study; 11 of them were anemic.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
1361844 Johnson CA, Rosowski E, Zimmerman SW: A prospective open-label study evaluating the efficacy and adverse reactions of the use of Niferex-150 in ESRD patients receiving EPOGEN. Adv Perit Dial. 1992;8:444-7.

Ferrous sulfate is commonly prescribed, however many patients experience adverse gastrointestinal effects.
The following laboratory information was recorded: hematocrit, serum iron concentration, percent transferrin saturation, total iron-binding capacity, serum ferritin concentration.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
8435091 Nielsen P, Heinrich HC: Metabolism of iron from (3,5,5-trimethylhexanoyl) ferrocene in rats. Biochem Pharmacol. 1993 Jan 26;45(2):385-91.


After intestinal absorption, TMH-ferrocene iron in the portal blood is transported to the liver independently from transferrin.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
11840762 Lin X, Tang Y, Long Z: [Effects of vitamin A and iron supplementation on the improvement of iron status and immunological function in preschool children]. Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2001 Nov;35(6):374-7.

METHODS: Serum vitamin A concentration and hemoglobin (Hb), serum iron (SI), transferrin saturation (TS), serum ferritin (SF) were determined in 270 rural preschool children aged 3-7 years in Beijing, and the subjects were divided into four groups based on their determinations: control, lower serum vitamin A, lower iron, and both lower iron and serum vitamin A.
Forty-one subjects who had lower iron and lower serum vitamin A (< 1.12 mumol/L) were divided into two groups: one of them supplemented with 30 mg iron element (ferrous sulfate 0.15 g) once a day for 8 weeks, and the other group supplemented with iron and 12,500 IU vitamin A twice a week for 8 weeks.
1(0,0,0,1) Details
17296819 Henry DH, Dahl NV, Auerbach M, Tchekmedyian S, Laufman LR: Intravenous ferric gluconate significantly improves response to epoetin alfa versus oral iron or no iron in anemic patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy. Oncologist. 2007 Feb;12(2):231-42.


PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenous (IV) sodium ferric gluconate complex (FG), oral ferrous sulfate, or no iron to increase hemoglobin (Hb) in anemic cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and epoetin alfa.
0(0,0,0,0) Details
2044721 Devasthali SD, Gordeuk VR, Brittenham GM, Bravo JR, Hughes MA, Keating LJ: Bioavailability of carbonyl iron: a randomized, double-blind study. Eur J Haematol. 1991 May;46(5):272-8.


49 female blood donors with iron-deficiency anemia were treated with equal doses of iron either as carbonyl iron or ferrous sulfate in a randomized, double-blind fashion.
0(0,0,0,0) Details