Iron-Fiber Complexes for Gastrointestinal Mineral Adsorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current compositions fail to effectively utilize fiber and iron compounds for therapeutic and nutritional benefits, particularly in enhancing mineral absorption and treating conditions like iron deficiency anemia and hyperphosphatemia, while maintaining stability across a wide pH range.
Innovation Solution
Development of iron-fiber complex compositions with a high content of iron(II) and iron(III) bonded to dietary fibers through oxygen, hydroxyl, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen bridge bonds, allowing for the adsorption of excess minerals and toxins in the gastrointestinal tract and extracorporeal systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If iron compounds are used to treat iron deficiency anemia, then iron delivery is improved, but gastrointestinal absorption and stability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines iron compounds with dietary fiber to create a composite material that leverages the high iron content of iron compounds while utilizing the gastrointestinal stability and absorption-enhancing properties of dietary fiber. This composite structure allows the iron to be delivered effectively while the fiber matrix protects it from degradation and enhances its absorption in the GI tract.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the physical and chemical parameters of iron delivery by incorporating it into a fiber matrix, changing its solubility, surface area, and release characteristics. This parameter modification enables the iron to maintain stability across a wide pH range in the GI tract while still being effectively absorbed.
2Quantity of substance
If fiber is used to adsorb phosphates, then phosphate binding is improved, but iron content and therapeutic versatility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The iron-fiber composition is designed to perform multiple therapeutic functions simultaneously: it binds phosphates through the fiber component, delivers iron through the iron compounds, and can address multiple conditions including hyperphosphatemia, iron deficiency anemia, and bone health issues. This multi-functionality allows a single composition to treat diverse metabolic disorders.
Solution Approach 2:
By creating a composite of iron compounds and fiber, the patent achieves both phosphate-binding capability (from the fiber) and iron-supplementation capability (from the iron compounds), thereby expanding the therapeutic versatility beyond what either component could achieve alone.
3Quantity of substance
If iron compounds are used to treat hyperphosphatemia, then phosphate adsorption is improved, but gastrointestinal stability and safety are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The dietary fiber acts as an intermediary carrier that holds the iron compounds in a stable, biocompatible matrix. This fiber intermediary protects the iron compounds from direct interaction with the GI tract environment that would cause instability, while still allowing the iron-fiber complex to effectively adsorb phosphates in the bloodstream.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure of iron compounds embedded in fiber provides both the phosphate-adsorption capability of iron and the gastrointestinal stability of fiber, resolving the contradiction between these two properties.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The iron-fiber complexes demonstrate enhanced phosphate-binding capacity and stability across a pH range of 1-12, effectively treating conditions like hyperphosphatemia and maintaining normal mineral homeostasis, while also providing a therapeutic formulation for treating abnormal metabolic parameters and bone health.
Implementation Method 1
iron-fiber complex compositions having a high content of iron(II) and iron(III) bonded to dietary fibers through oxygen, hydroxyl, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen bridge bonds, allowing for the adsorption of excess minerals and toxins in the gastrointestinal tract
Implementation Method 2
iron-fiber complex compositions having a high content of iron(II) and iron(III) bonded to dietary fibers through oxygen, hydroxyl, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen bridge bonds
Data Source
AI summary
Compositions comprising ferrous and/or ferric iron compounds and fiber in a complex, methods for preparing such compositions of matter, and the use thereof for treatment of adsorbing certain accessible targets in the gastrointestinal tract and in an extracorporeal system, are provided herein.