Despite concerted programmatic efforts iron deficiency anemia (IDA) continues to be a global health problem. Per Ayurveda, an Indian Traditional Medical System, natural plant materials such as pomegranate juice (PJ) is indicated as a food supplement to manage IDA. We hypothesized that pomegranate could play a role in improving absorption and assimilation of iron. A cell free in vitro model simulating the gastric and intestinal digestive processes coupled with cell based (Caco-2 and HepG2) models were used to assess iron (FeSO4 form) dialysability in the presence of PJ. Iron assimilation into cells was measured in terms of the cellular ferritin content. PJ (containing ~13 mg/100 ml natural ascorbic acid equivalent) increased the dialysability of iron by >3 fold when compared to control in the cell free model. An equivalent concentration of ascorbic acid alone increased it only by 1.6-fold. PJ increased the iron uptake in Caco2 cells by ~6-fold and ferritin content by 30% when compared to the ascorbic acid control. Similarly, PJ enhanced the iron uptake in HepG2 cells by ~3 fold and iron assimilation by about 50%. This study establishes a scientific evidence for Ayurveda’s claim of using pomegranate in the management of IDA by facilitating iron absorption and assimilation. It provides a simple solution for addressing the global problem of IDA. Synergistic action of multiple phytochemicals, over and above ascorbic acid, in PJ may be responsible for improving iron bioavailability.

中文翻译：

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石榴汁在体外无细胞和基于细胞的模型中增强铁的透析能力和同化

尽管进行了协调一致的计划努力，缺铁性贫血 (IDA) 仍然是一个全球健康问题。根据印度传统医学系统 Ayurveda，石榴汁 (PJ) 等天然植物材料被指定为管理 IDA 的食品补充剂。我们假设石榴可以在改善铁的吸收和同化方面发挥作用。模拟胃和肠消化过程的无细胞体外模型与基于细胞的（Caco-2 和 HepG2）模型相结合，用于评估存在 PJ 时铁（FeSO4 形式）的透析能力。根据细胞铁蛋白含量测量铁同化到细胞中。与无细胞模型中的对照相比，PJ（含有约 13 毫克/100 毫升天然抗坏血酸当量）使铁的透析能力增加了 3 倍以上。单独使用等效浓度的抗坏血酸仅使其增加 1.6 倍。与抗坏血酸对照相比，PJ 使 Caco2 细胞的铁摄取增加了约 6 倍，铁蛋白含量增加了 30%。类似地，PJ 将 HepG2 细胞中的铁吸收提高了约 3 倍，铁吸收提高了约 50%。这项研究为阿育吠陀声称通过促进铁吸收和同化在 IDA 管理中使用石榴的说法建立了科学证据。它为解决 IDA 的全球问题提供了一个简单的解决方案。PJ 中多种植物化学物质的协同作用，超过抗坏血酸，可能是提高铁生物利用度的原因。类似地，PJ 将 HepG2 细胞中的铁吸收提高了约 3 倍，铁吸收提高了约 50%。这项研究为阿育吠陀声称通过促进铁吸收和同化在 IDA 管理中使用石榴的说法建立了科学证据。它为解决 IDA 的全球问题提供了一个简单的解决方案。PJ 中多种植物化学物质的协同作用，超过抗坏血酸，可能是提高铁生物利用度的原因。类似地，PJ 将 HepG2 细胞中的铁吸收提高了约 3 倍，铁吸收提高了约 50%。这项研究为阿育吠陀声称通过促进铁吸收和同化在 IDA 管理中使用石榴的说法建立了科学证据。它为解决 IDA 的全球问题提供了一个简单的解决方案。PJ 中多种植物化学物质的协同作用，超过抗坏血酸，可能是提高铁生物利用度的原因。