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Understanding the role of iron in ethanol-derived hepatic stress could help elucidate the efficacy of dietary or clinical interventions designed to minimize liver damage from chronic alcohol consumption. We hypothesized that normal levels of iron are involved in ethanol-derived liver damage and reduced dietary iron intake would lower the damage caused by ethanol. We used a pair-fed mouse model utilizing basal Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets for 22 weeks to test this hypothesis. In our mouse model, chronic ethanol exposure led to mild hepatic stress possibly characteristic of early-stage alcoholic liver disease, seen as increases in liver-to-body weight ratios. Dietary iron restriction caused a slight decrease in non-heme iron and ferritin (FeRL) expression while it increased transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) expression without changing ferroportin 1 (FPN1) expression. It also elevated protein lysine acetylation to a more significant level than in ethanol-fed mice under normal dietary iron conditions. Interestingly, iron restriction led to an additional reduction in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and NADH levels. Consistent with this observation, the major mitochondrial NAD+-dependent deacetylase, NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-3 (SIRT3), expression was significantly reduced causing increased protein lysine acetylation in ethanol-fed mice at normal and low-iron conditions. In addition, the detection of superoxide dismutase 1 and 2 levels (SOD1 and SOD2) and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complex activities allowed us to evaluate the changes in antioxidant and energy metabolism regulated by ethanol consumption at normal and low-iron conditions. We observed that the ethanol-fed mice had mild liver damage associated with reduced energy and antioxidant metabolism. On the other hand, iron restriction may exacerbate certain activities of ethanol further, such as increased protein lysine acetylation and reduced antioxidant metabolism. This metabolic change may prove a barrier to the effectiveness of dietary reduction of iron intake as a preventative measure in chronic alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Ferroptosis, a form of cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, has known as one of the most significant pathological processes involved in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) has been demonstrated its potential in regulating ferroptosis, but the regulatory role in DKD mice and underlying mechanisms haven't been illustrated. To elucidate whether and how STING regulates ferroptosis in DKD, we detected the influence of STING on diabetic-related ferroptosis in a diabetic model and in erastin-induced renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs). Our study demonstrated that STING was abnormally activated and promoted ferroptosis in DKD. STING deficiency alleviated renal pathologic damages and disfunction in diabetic mice via alleviating ferroptosis and reducing oxidative stress. Mechanismly, STING inhibition was shown to improve ferroptosis and reduce oxidative stress in erastin-induced RTECs. The disruption of ferroportin1 (FPN1) on the basis of STING inhibition abolished the improvements in ferroptosis and promoted reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Further, STING inhibition alleviated ferroptosis via stabilizing FPN1 protein level by decreasing ubiquitinated FPN1 for proteasomal degradation. In conclusion, STING deficiency protected against diabetic renal injury via alleviating ferroptosis through stabilizing FPN1 and reducing oxidative stress, providing a possible potential approach for the treatment of DKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transcription factor NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a central regulator of cellular antioxidant and detoxification response. The association between Nrf2 activity and iron-related oxidative stress in neurodegenerative diseases has been studied, and Nrf2 was found to transcriptionally regulate the expression of iron transporters and ferroptosis-related factors. However, the role of Nrf2 in age-related motor dysfunction and its link to iron metabolism dysregulation in brain have not been fully elucidated. In this study, with different ages of Nrf2 knockout (KO) and wild type (WT) mice, we investigated the effects of Nrf2 deficiency on brain oxidative stress, iron metabolism and the motor coordination ability of mice. In contrast to the predicted neuroprotective role of Nrf2 in oxidative stress-related diseases, we found that Nrf2 KO remarkably improved the motor coordination of aged mice, which was associated with the reduced ROS level and decreased apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra (SN) of 18-month-old Nrf2 KO mice. With high-iron and Parkinson's disease (PD) mouse models, we revealed that Nrf2 KO prevented the deposition of brain iron, particularly in SN and striatum, which may subsequently delay motor dysfunction in aged mice. The regulation of Nrf2 KO on brain iron metabolism was likely mediated by decreasing the ferroportin 1 (FPN1) level on brain microvascular endothelial cells, thus hindering the process of iron entry into the brain. Nrf2 may be a potential therapeutic target in age-related motor dysfunction diseases for its role in regulating brain iron homeostasis. Image 1 • Nrf2 knockout mitigated age-related motor dysfunction in aging mice. • Nrf2 knockout reduced the iron overload in the SN and striatum of aging mice. • Nrf2 knockout inhibited FPN1 expression of brain microvascular endothelial cells. • Increased levels of brain iron are commonly observed as a consequence of aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron is one of the essential elements of life. Iron metabolism is related to bone metabolism. Previous studies have confirmed that iron overload is a risk factor for osteoporosis. But the correlation between iron deficiency and bone metabolism remains unclear. Ferroportin 1 is identified as a cellular iron exporter and required for normal iron cycling. In zebrafish, the mutant of ferroportin 1 gene ( fpn1 ), weh tp85c exhibited the defective iron transport, leading to developing severe hypochromic anemia. We used weh tp85c as a model for investigating iron deficiency and bone metabolism. In this study, we examined the morphology of the developing cartilage and vertebrae of the Weh tp85 compared to the wild type siblings by staining the larvae with alcian blue for cartilage and alizarin red for the bone. In addition, we evaluated the expression patterns of the marker genes of bone development and cell signaling in bone formation. Our results showed that weh tp85c mutant larvae exhibited the defects in bone formation, revealing by decreases in the number of calcified vertebrae along with decreased expression of osteoblast novel genes: alpl , runx2a and col1a1a and BMPs signaling genes in osteoblast differentiation: bmp2a and bmp2b. Our data suggest that iron deficiency anemia affects bone formation, potentially through the BMPs signaling pathway in zebrafish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation and iron accumulation are present in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases that include Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The study of the putative association between inflammation and iron accumulation in central nervous system cells is relevant to understand the contribution of these processes to the progression of neuronal death. In this study, we analyzed the effects of the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha ( TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) and of lipopolysaccharide on total cell iron content and on the expression and abundance of the iron transporters divalent metal transporter 1 ( DMT1) and Ferroportin 1 ( FPN1) in neurons, astrocytes and microglia obtained from rat brain. Considering previous reports indicating that inflammatory stimuli induce the systemic synthesis of the master iron regulator hepcidin, we identified brain cells that produce hepcidin in response to inflammatory stimuli, as well as hepcidin-target cells. We found that inflammatory stimuli increased the expression of DMT1 in neurons, astrocytes, and microglia. Inflammatory stimuli also induced the expression of hepcidin in astrocytes and microglia, but not in neurons. Incubation with hepcidin decreased the expression of FPN1 in the three cell types. The net result of these changes was increased iron accumulation in neurons and microglia but not in astrocytes. The data presented here establish for the first time a causal association between inflammation and iron accumulation in brain cells, probably promoted by changes in DMT1 and FPN1 expression and mediated in part by hepcidin. This connection may potentially contribute to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases by enhancing iron-induced oxidative damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present study examined the hypothesis that the iron exporter ferroportin (FPN1/SLC40A1) can also mediate cellular export of the essential trace element manganese, using Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing human FPN1. When compared to oocytes expressing only the divalent metal transporter-1 (DMT1/NRAMP2), 54Mn accumulation was lower in oocytes also expressing FPN1. FPN1-expressing oocytes exported more 54Mn than control oocytes (26.6±0.6% versus 7.1±0.5%, respectively, over 4h at pH 7.4 when preloaded with approximately 16μM 54Mn); however, there was no difference in 54Mn uptake between control and FPN1-expressing oocytes. FPN1-mediated Mn export was concentration dependent and could be partially cis-inhibited by 100μM Fe, Co, and Ni, but not by Rb. In addition, Mn export ability was significantly reduced when the extracellular pH was reduced from 7.4 to 5.5, and when Na+ was substituted with K+ in the incubation media. These results indicate that Mn is a substrate for FPN1, and that this export process is inhibited by a low extracellular pH and by incubation in a high K+ medium, indicating the involvement of transmembrane ion gradients in FPN1-mediated transport. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background & Aims: Classical ferroportin disease is characterized by hyperferritinemia, normal transferrin saturation, and iron overload in macrophages. A non-classical form is characterized by additional hepatocellular iron deposits and a high transferrin saturation. Both forms demonstrate autosomal dominant transmission and are associated with ferroportin gene (SLC40A1) mutations. SLC40A1 encodes a cellular iron exporter expressed in macrophages, enterocytes, and hepatocytes. The aim of the analysis is to determine the penetrance of SLC40A1 mutations and to evaluate in silico tools to predict the functional impairment of ferroportin mutations as an alternative to in vitro studies. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of the biochemical presentation, genetics, and pathology of ferroportin disease. Results: Of the 176 individuals reported with SLC40A1 mutations, 80 were classified as classical phenotype with hyperferritinemia and normal transferrin saturation. The non-classical phenotype with hyperferritinemia and elevated transferrin saturation was present in 53 patients. The remaining patients had normal serum ferritin or the data were reported incompletely. Despite an increased hepatic iron concentration in all biopsied patients, significant fibrosis or cirrhosis was present in only 11%. Hyperferritinemia was present in 86% of individuals with ferroportin mutations. Bio-informatic analysis of ferroportin mutations showed that the PolyPhen score has a sensitivity of 99% and a specificity of 67% for the discrimination between ferroportin mutations and polymorphisms. Conclusions: In contrast to HFE hemochromatosis, ferroportin disease has a high penetrance, is genetically heterogeneous and is rarely associated with fibrosis. Non-classical ferroportin disease is associated with a higher risk of fibrosis and a more severe overload of hepatic iron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Macrophages that accumulate in atherosclerotic plaques contribute to progression of the lesions to more advanced and complex plaques. Although iron deposition was found in human atherosclerotic plaques, clinical and pre-clinical studies showed controversial results. Several epidemiological studies did not show the positive correlation between a systemic iron status and an incidence of cardiovascular diseases, suggesting that the iron involvement occurs locally, rather than systemically. Results: To determine the direct in vivo effect of iron accumulation in macrophages on the progression of atherosclerosis, we generated Apoe−/− mice with a macrophage-specific ferroportin (Fpn1) deficiency (Apoe−/−Fpn1LysM/LysM). Fpn1 deficiency in macrophages dramatically accelerated the progression of atherosclerosis in mice. Pathophysiological evidence showed elevated levels of reactive oxygen species, aggravated systemic inflammation, and altered plaque-lipid composition. Moreover, Fpn1 deficiency in macrophages significantly inhibited the expression of ABC transporters (ABCA1 and ABCG1) by decreasing the expression of the transcription factor LXRα, which reduced cholesterol efflux and therefore promoted foam cell formation and enhanced plaque formation. Iron chelation relieved the symptoms moderately in vivo, but drastically ex vivo. Conclusions: Macrophage iron content in plaques is a critical factor in progression of atherosclerosis. The interaction of iron and lipid metabolism takes place in macrophage-rich atherosclerotic plaques. And we also suggest that altering intracellular iron levels in macrophages by systemic iron chelation or dietary iron restriction may be a potential supplementary strategy to limit or even regress the progression of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysregulation of iron homeostasis in the body causes a variety of diseases. Iron deficiency leads to anemia, whereas iron overload aggravates cellular oxidative stress. Nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a protein that is activated in the nucleus and turns on the production of antioxidant enzymes, protecting cell against oxidative damage. This study aimed to investigate whether Nrf2 gene knockout influences iron homeostasis in aging mice. Iron content and iron metabolism-related proteins were assessed in different organs and blood serum of the 18 month-old Nrf2 knockout (Nrf2−/−) mice in comparison with the wild-type (WT) mice. Results showed that the iron contents in spleen and liver all increased, and expression levels of iron transporters were altered in Nrf2−/− mice. In particularly, we found that the expression of iron export protein ferroportin 1 (Fpn1) in liver, spleen and small intestine all decreased in Nrf2−/− mice, which might account for the deposition of iron in different organs and the increased ROS. Surprisingly, we found that the serum iron level of Nrf2−/− mice did not decrease, but increased significantly even when the iron absorption at small intestine decreased. Our further investigation revealed that the increase of serum iron was due to the release of iron from the hemolysis of erythrocytes, which caused by the increased ROS level in red blood cells of the Nrf2−/− mice. These findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of the important role of Nrf2 in the regulation of systemic iron metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]