Calcium supplements, elemental bioavailability, and uptake by bone (Part 2)

There is an increasing number and variety of calcium supplements being made available to the Canadian public, often making claims regarding improved action over competitor products. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effects of drugs and nutraceuticals upon bone health, particularly if they contain elements (such as calcium) which incorporate into newly mineralizing bone. With the highly bioavailable calcium acetate supplement by the Canadian nutraceutical company Sino Veda, it would be possible to verify improved uptake and deposition into bone if competitive uptake of the SinoVeda product was contrasted against strontium salts, which are easier to trace systemically in comparison to calcium. A range of calcium salt and strontium salt compounds were examined, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) established to identify and assay from complex mixtures, including rat serum. The competitive nature of calcium-strontium mixtures was ascertained at a range of pHs, in Simulated Gastric Fluid (pH2), Media Buffer pH4.5 and Simulated Intestinal Fluid (pH6.8) in order to assess solubility and calculate uptake into the rat plasma after oral gavage with hourly blood sampling. We are in the fmal stages of showing that calcium and strontium salts can be used competitively in order to determine skeletal uptake of calcium salt dosage form.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Michael Doschak

Student:

Kathy Cheng-Chia Tang

Partner:

SinoVeda Canada Inc.

Discipline:

Pharmacy / Pharmacology

Sector:

Pharmaceuticals

University:

University of Alberta