Local Effects and Mechanism of Absorption of Iron Preparations Administered Intramuscularly

An attempt has been made to correlate factors involved in the absorption of iron-polysaccharide complexes administered intramuscularly. Different complexes varied greatly in degree of retention in muscle and in diffusibility in agar; these two characteristics were not closely related. The local changes in the muscle produced by the iron complexes consisted of an acute inflammatory reaction at the site of injection, with degenerative changes. Subsequent regeneration was rapid and complete. The major proportion of the absorption occurred during the initial 72 hr. and appeared to be mediated partly by the inflammatory reaction evoked, with enhancement of lymphatic transport of the iron complex. Rapid fixation by tissue macrophages impeded absorption and, with some complexes, this factor may make much of the injection inaccessible.