Iron Metabolism, Ferroptosis and COVID-19
A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Metabolism".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2021) | Viewed by 5234
Special Issue Editor
Interests: the biochemical pathways for defense against oxidative stress and the relations between the oxidation state and iron metabolism in chronic diseases and in reproductive aging and infertility; the study of the anti-oxidant, anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects of saffron and its carotenoids
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Iron is a transition metal and essential constituent of almost all living cells and organisms. It is a component of various metalloproteins and is involved in critical biochemical processes such as the transport of oxygen in tissues, electron transfer reactions during mitochondrial respiration, the synthesis and repair of DNA, the metabolism of xenobiotics, etc. When present in excess within cells and tissues, iron disrupts redox homeostasis and catalyzes the propagation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress. At the cellular level, oxidative stress may lead to ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of cell death. Ferroptosis plays an important regulatory role in the occurrence and development of many diseases, such as nervous system diseases including ageusia and anosmia, ischemia/reperfusion injury, tumors etc.
The novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) causes acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in vulnerable individuals. Emerging data link the risk of severe COVID-19 with certain factors such as hyper-inflammation, involving a cytokine storm. Proinflammatory cytokines such as IL6 may induce hyper-ferritinemia in COVID-19 patients. Ferritin is the primary site of iron storage in the cell, and its increase is regulated by the protein hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism in humans.
Recently, a distant sequence similarity between the cysteine-rich cytoplasmic tail of the coronavirus spike protein and the hepcidin protein was reported. This preliminary observation may suggest a potential route of investigation in the coronavirus research field based on the interplay of local and systemic iron regulation, cytokine-mediated inflammatory processes, respiratory infections and the hepcidin protein.
Therefore, this Special Issue of Metabolites will be dedicated to publishing current advances in iron homeostasis, oxidative stress, ferroptosis and COVID-19.
Dr. Anna Maria D'Alessandro
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- iron
- oxidative stress
- hepcidin
- ferritin
- ferroptosis
- COVID-19
- endothelial cells
- hypoxia
- inflammation
- ARDS
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