Evaluation of micronutrients supplementation for correction of stunting: A preclinical study

• The use of multiple micronutrients and minerals – that was believed to influence bone growth – together to be sprinkled on food.
• Confirming the safety, stability and the effect of this supplement on skeletal bone growth.
• This dosage form decreases the resistance to the long duration treatment needed to correct the retarded linear bone growth case, since it can be easily incorporated in daily food.
• This dosage form could be of particular benefit not only to retarded linear bone growth cases but also to patients having disturbance in bone mineralization as osteoporosis’ cases.

This study related pharmaceutical formulation techniques with correction of retarded linear growth arising from poor nutritional status through a preclinical study. In our previous work, we formulated micronutrients supplementation as a sprinkle powder dosage form. Results of the physicopharmaceutical tests (i.e., uniformity of weight, angle of repose, tapped and bulk density, Hausner’s ratio, and Carr’s index) were acceptable values. Results obtained in this study showed that the best selected supplement formula (F5) was stable physically and chemically during storage period (40 °C and 75% RH) for 12 weeks. The in vivo study, carried out using 40 albino rats for 8 weeks, revealed that (F5) increased the weight and length of femur bone of severely malnourished rats by 16.6% (p < 0.001) and 7.9% (p < 0.001) respectively compared to its corresponding untreated group; and increased the weight and length of femur bone of moderately malnourished rats by 23.07% (p < 0.001) and 20.1% (p < 0.001) respectively compared to its corresponding untreated group. Thus, the supplement formula (F5) was effective in correction of retarded linear growth depending on the extent of deficiency. Moderately retarded malnourished cases were recovered to a higher degree than the severely ones.

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