scholarly journals Emerging and Dynamic Biomedical Uses of Ferritin

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Chiou ◽  
James Connor

Ferritin, a ubiquitously expressed protein, has classically been considered the main iron cellular storage molecule in the body. Owing to the ferroxidase activity of the H-subunit and the nucleation ability of the L-subunit, ferritin can store a large amount of iron within its mineral core. However, recent evidence has demonstrated a range of abilities of ferritin that extends well beyond the scope of iron storage. This review aims to discuss novel functions and biomedical uses of ferritin in the processes of iron delivery, delivery of biologics such as chemotherapies and contrast agents, and the utility of ferritin as a biomarker in a number of neurological diseases.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7302
Author(s):  
Bryan Latrell Holloman ◽  
Mitzi Nagarkatti ◽  
Prakash Nagarkatti

Chronic inflammation is considered to be a silent killer because it is the underlying cause of a wide range of clinical disorders, from cardiovascular to neurological diseases, and from cancer to obesity. In addition, there are over 80 different types of debilitating autoimmune diseases for which there are no cure. Currently, the drugs that are available to suppress chronic inflammation are either ineffective or overtly suppress the inflammation, thereby causing increased susceptibility to infections and cancer. Thus, the development of a new class of drugs that can suppress chronic inflammation is imperative. Cannabinoids are a group of compounds produced in the body (endocannabinoids) or found in cannabis (phytocannabinoids) that act through cannabinoid receptors and various other receptors expressed widely in the brain and immune system. In the last decade, cannabinoids have been well established experimentally to mediate anti-inflammatory properties. Research has shown that they suppress inflammation through multiple pathways, including apoptosis and inducing immunosuppressive T regulatory cells (Tregs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Interestingly, cannabinoids also mediate epigenetic alterations in genes that regulate inflammation. In the current review, we highlight how the epigenetic modulations caused by cannabinoids lead to the suppression of inflammation and help identify novel pathways that can be used to target autoimmune diseases.


1999 ◽  
Vol 338 (3) ◽  
pp. 615-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoke YANG ◽  
N. Dennis CHASTEEN

It is widely accepted that iron deposition in the iron storage protein ferritin in vitro involves Fe(II) oxidation, and that ferritin facilitates this oxidation at a ferroxidase site on the protein. However, these views have recently been questioned, with the protein ferroxidase activity instead being attributed to autoxidation from the buffer alone. Ligand exchange between another protein with ferroxidase activity and ferritin has been proposed as an alternative mechanism for iron incorporation into ferritin. In the present work, a pH stat apparatus is used to eliminate the influence of buffers on iron(II) oxidation. Here we show that the recent experiments questioning the ferroxidase activity of ferritin were flawed by inadequate pH control, that buffers actually retard rather than facilitate iron(II) oxidation, and that horse spleen ferritin has ferroxidase activity when measured under proper experimental conditions. Furthermore, high pH (7.0), a high Fe(II) concentration and the presence of Fe(III) all favour Fe(II) autoxidation in the presence or absence of ferritin.


Metallomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haoxuan Ding ◽  
Qian Zhang ◽  
Xiaonan Yu ◽  
Lingjun Chen ◽  
Zhonghang Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Iron overload is an important contributor to disease. The liver, the major site of iron storage in the body, is a key organ impacted by iron overload. While several studies have reported perturbations in liver lipids in iron overload, it is not clear, on a global scale, how individual liver lipid ions are altered. Here, we used lipidomics to study the changes in hepatic lipid ions in iron-overloaded mice. Iron overload was induced by daily intraperitoneal injections of 100mg/kg body weight iron dextran for one week. Iron overload was verified by serum markers of iron status, liver iron quantitation, and Perls’ stain. Compared with the control group, the serum of iron-overload mice exhibited low levels of urea nitrogen and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and high concentrations of total bile acid, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), suggestive of liver injury. Moreover, iron overload disrupted liver morphology, induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, caused lipid peroxidation, and led to DNA fragmentation. Iron overload altered the overall composition of lipid ions in the liver, with significant changes in over 100 unique lipid ions. Notably, iron overload selectively increased the overall abundance of glycerolipids and changed the composition of glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. This study, one of the first to report iron-overload induced lipid alterations on a global lipidomics scale, provides early insight into lipid ions that may be involved in iron overload-induced pathology.


2020 ◽  
pp. 39-47
Author(s):  
I.A. Zhabchenko

The article presents modern data on the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and anemia of chronic disease, as well as their combination on the eve of and during pregnancy. The emphasis is made on the role of iron deficiency of any etiology in the development of obstetric and perinatal complications, especially its impact on the central nervous system formation and further psychophysical child development. Need for prevention of iron deficiency states in risk groups which includes all women of reproductive age who have menstruation is shown based on evidence-based medicine data. Effectiveness and safety of modern drugs containing iron in oral and parenteral forms has analyzed. The paper presents data on the safety and effectiveness of an innovative form of ferric iron in the form of liposomal iron, which differs in the mechanism of action, digestibility and the absence of side effects typical for this group of drugs. According to various authors the frequency of IDA in pregnant women ranges up to 80%, in puerperas up to 40%. It is unimpossible to stop IDA without iron supplementation only with an iron-rich diet. Two main groups of iron preparations are used to correct iron deficiency differing in the valence of iron atoms – bivalent iron salts and trivalent complexes. These drugs differ in the tolerability and bioavailability of atomic iron. Liposomal iron is a new drug for treatment of iron deficiency and IDA today; it has an innovative way of iron delivery to the body. Liposomal iron has advantages for the prevention of anemia in patients with anemia of chronic disease or its combination with IDA (inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity, after resection of the stomach and intestines, etc.). An innovative form of liposomal iron in Ukraine is represented by a dietary supplement Ferroview containing 30 mg of elemental iron, that is corresponds to the average prophylactic dose recommended in WHO documents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isis Zhang ◽  
Huijuan Hu

Store-operated calcium channels (SOCs) are widely expressed in excitatory and non-excitatory cells where they mediate significant store-operated calcium entry (SOCE), an important pathway for calcium signaling throughout the body. While the activity of SOCs has been well studied in non-excitable cells, attention has turned to their role in neurons and glia in recent years. In particular, the role of SOCs in the nervous system has been extensively investigated, with links to their dysregulation found in a wide variety of neurological diseases from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to pain. In this review, we provide an overview of their molecular components, expression, and physiological role in the nervous system and describe how the dysregulation of those roles could potentially lead to various neurological disorders. Although further studies are still needed to understand how SOCs are activated under physiological conditions and how they are linked to pathological states, growing evidence indicates that SOCs are important players in neurological disorders and could be potential new targets for therapies. While the role of SOCE in the nervous system continues to be multifaceted and controversial, the study of SOCs provides a potentially fruitful avenue into better understanding the nervous system and its pathologies.


2013 ◽  
pp. 16-22
Author(s):  
Alessandro Castiglione ◽  
Claudia Aimoni ◽  
Giovanni Scanelli

Background: Balance is primarily related to the proper functioning of three sensory input: vestibular, visual and proprioceptive. The integration of these different afferences contributes to the proper attitude of the body in static and dynamic conditions. Equilibrium disorders are common among elderly patients and are responsible for falls and fractures, leading sometimes to catastrophic outcomes, representing a serious health and social problem. Approximately one third of elderly patients at home and about 50% of institutionalized, over 75 year-old, suffer from this particular condition, with at least one fall a year and almost 50% of these with recurrent episodes. Females are more affected than males. Attempts to ascertain the underlying cause of unbalance should be done, leading then to specific treatment. Nevertheless, many elderly patients do not have a single disease but rather a multitude of medical conditions which may cause dizziness, imbalance and vertigo: effects of ageing, drugs, cardiovascular and neurological disorders, ocular and orthopaedic diseases. Aim of the study: A literature review was carried out with the intention to offer practical and useful notions for the management and treatment of equilibrium disorders. Discussion: In clinical practice, the main challenge is to distinguish between peripheral and central imbalance disorders. The data collected from history and clinical exams should be integrated with the intent to include the patient in one of the following clinical conditions: vertiginous syndrome, pre-syncope and/or syncope, neurological diseases, other conditions.Conclusions: Following the differential diagnosis, treatment mainly consists in drug administration (antiemetic and vestibular suppressor drugs) and vestibular rehabilitation (physiotherapy and vestibular exercises).


MRS Advances ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (42) ◽  
pp. 2157-2168
Author(s):  
Aileen O'Shea ◽  
Anushri Parakh ◽  
Rita Maria Lahoud ◽  
Sandeep Hedgire ◽  
Mukesh G Harisinghani

AbstractWhile the use of iron oxide nanoparticles as magnetic resonance contrast agents for clinical imaging is established, they are more recently experiencing renewed interest as alternatives to gadolinium-based contrast agents. Ultra-small iron oxide nanoparticles have unique pharmacokinetics, metabolic and imaging properties. These properties have led to improved techniques for imaging a variety of vascular, oncologic and inflammatory conditions with iron oxide nanoparticles. Current research efforts are aimed at harnessing the characteristics of these nanoparticles to advance magnetic resonance imaging techniques and explore new therapeutic potentials. While there are some limitations to the use of iron oxide nanoparticles, including allergies to parenteral iron and iron storage disorders, the practicable applications for these agents will continue to expand. The purpose of this review is to provide a brief overview of the history and synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles, their current applications in clinical imaging and their prospective clinical applications.


Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Gegenhuber ◽  
Jessica Tollkuhn

Females and males display differences in neural activity patterns, behavioral responses, and incidence of psychiatric and neurological diseases. Sex differences in the brain appear throughout the animal kingdom and are largely a consequence of the physiological requirements necessary for the distinct roles of the two sexes in reproduction. As with the rest of the body, gonadal steroid hormones act to specify and regulate many of these differences. It is thought that transient hormonal signaling during brain development gives rise to persistent sex differences in gene expression via an epigenetic mechanism, leading to divergent neurodevelopmental trajectories that may underlie sex differences in disease susceptibility. However, few genes with a persistent sex difference in expression have been identified, and only a handful of studies have employed genome-wide approaches to assess sex differences in epigenomic modifications. To date, there are no confirmed examples of gene regulatory elements that direct sex differences in gene expression in the brain. Here, we review foundational studies in this field, describe transcriptional mechanisms that could act downstream of hormone receptors in the brain, and suggest future approaches for identification and validation of sex-typical gene programs. We propose that sexual differentiation of the brain involves self-perpetuating transcriptional states that canalize sex-specific development.


1997 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 2045-2053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh D. Van Liew ◽  
Soumya Raychaudhuri

Van Liew, Hugh D., and Soumya Raychaudhuri. Stabilized bubbles in the body: pressure-radius relationships and the limits to stabilization. J. Appl. Physiol.82(6): 2045–2053, 1997.—We previously outlined the fundamental principles that govern behavior of stabilized bubbles, such as the microbubbles being put forward as ultrasound contrast agents. Our present goals are to develop the idea that there are limits to the stabilization and to provide a conceptual framework for comparison of bubbles stabilized by different mechanisms. Gases diffuse in or out of stabilized bubbles in a limited and reversible manner in response to changes in the environment, but strong growth influences will cause the bubbles to cross a threshold into uncontrolled growth. Also, bubbles stabilized by mechanical structures will be destroyed if outside influences bring them below a critical small size. The in vivo behavior of different kinds of stabilized bubbles can be compared by using plots of bubble radius as a function of forces that affect diffusion of gases in or out of the bubble. The two ends of the plot are the limits for unstabilized growth and destruction; these and the curve’s slope predict the bubble’s practical usefulness for ultrasonic imaging or O2 carriage to tissues.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Yikun Li ◽  
Xiali Huang ◽  
Jingjing Wang ◽  
Ruiling Huang ◽  
Dan Wan

The liver is the organ for iron storage and regulation; it senses circulating iron concentrations in the body through the BMP-SMAD pathway and regulates the iron intake from food and erythrocyte recovery into the bloodstream by secreting hepcidin. Under iron deficiency, hypoxia, and hemorrhage, the liver reduces the expression of hepcidin to ensure the erythropoiesis but increases the excretion of hepcidin during infection and inflammation to reduce the usage of iron by pathogens. Excessive iron causes system iron overload; it accumulates in never system and damages neurocyte leading to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s syndrome. When some gene mutations affect the perception of iron and iron regulation ability in the liver, then they decrease the expression of hepcidin, causing hereditary diseases such as hereditary hemochromatosis. This review summarizes the source and utilization of iron in the body, the liver regulates systemic iron homeostasis by sensing the circulating iron concentration, and the expression of hepcidin regulated by various signaling pathways, thereby understanding the pathogenesis of iron-related diseases.


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