Sorbents for treatment of hereditary hemochromatosis

Iron-binding supplements have emerged as potential treatments for hereditary hemochromatosis. In this study, a variety of natural and synthetic sorbents were tested for iron-binding capacity and selectivity as compared to Ironology™ Iron Block. Inorganic materials such as zeolites, hydrotalcites, and mineral clays as well as biotic materials such as tannins, hops, nutshell powders, spices, and natural extracts were screened for iron-binding capacity. Chestnut wood and mimosa extract tannins sorbed the most iron (16.19 mg/g and 10.28 mg/g, respectively). Faujasite zeolite, Linde LZ-Y62, sorbed similar amounts of iron as mimosa extract (10.19 mg/g). Citra and Mosaic cryohops, as well as clove spice and grapeseed extract, were also found to be highly effective (8.84, 8.54, 8.33, and 8.20 mg/g, respectively). The two varieties of tannins, two varieties of hops, grapeseed extract, and clove spice were subsequently evaluated for competitive binding using dietary concentrations of calcium, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc ions. The effect of disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid was evaluated for competitive binding and found to be proportional in iron-binding capacity to tannins and hops. The results indicate natural products such as non-soluble tannins, as well as synthetic zeolite NH₄-Y (Linde LZ-Y62), may be potential candidates for treating hereditary hemochromatosis.