Parenteral Iron Therapy
Such iron therapy (intravenously or intramuscularly) is given when (a) oral therapy has failed, (b) oral absorption is seriously compromised, (c) benefit from oral therapy cannot be expected, or (d) fast improvement is required. For intravenous injections, colloidal solutions of spherical or ellipsoidal nanoparticles, composed of an iron core of polynuclear ferric–oxyhydroxide complexes with various carbohydrates, are utilized . The carbohydrate capsule stabilizes the gel and retards the liberation of bioactive iron from the core to the plasma and sustains the nanoparticle in colloidal solution. The chemical form and structure of such iron compounds are comparable with those of ferritin, which explains their low toxicity. After parenteral administration, the nanoparticles are phagocytosed, mainly by macrophages of the reticuloendothelial system.