Iron is an essential nutrient for almost all living cells, and pathogenic bacteria are faced with severe iron limitation in the mammalian host (1). To make iron available during infection, most microorganisms produce and transport into the cell specific iron chelators (siderophores) or acquire iron bound to exogenous iron carriers, like xenosiderophores, heme, or the host’s transferrins (2). Du...

Recent findings of impaired mitochondrial function, altered iron metabolism and increased lipid peroxidation in the substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease emphasize the significance of oxidative stress and free radical formation in the pathogenesis of the disease. Future research will focus on improvements in neuroprotective therapy to prevent or slow the rate of progression of Parkinson's dis...

Background: Iron is an essential mineral for normal cellular physiology but its ‎overload can lead to cell injury. For many years, deferoxamine injection has been used ‎as an iron chelator for treatment of iron overload. The aim of this study is to compare ‎oral deferoxamine, activated charcoal, and vitamin C, as an absorbent factor of Fe, in ‎changing the serum level of iron in iron overload r...

PROPOSAL The World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines and Model Formulary 2010 list deferoxamine (DFO) as the treatment of choice for both acute and chronic iron poisoning. The Model Formulary currently does not designate any orally administered agents for the chelation of iron. It is proposed that deferasirox be considered the oral chelator of choice in the treatment of chro...

The growth rate of Staphylococcus epidermidis was controlled for populations growing as a biofilm and perfused with supplemented, simple-salts medium. Production of iron chelators, extracellular protease and exopolysaccharide (EPS) by these populations was assessed as a function of specific growth rate and compared to that by planktonic populations grown in the same medium within a chemostat. P...

Over the last 20 years, management for thalassemia major has improved to the point where we predict that patients' life expectancy will approach that of the normal population. These outcomes result from safer blood transfusions, the availability of three iron chelators, new imaging techniques that allow specific organ assessment of the degree of iron overload, and improvement in the treatment o...

Iron is essential for normal cellular function. It participates in a wide variety of cellular processes, including cellular respiration, DNA synthesis, and macromolecule biosynthesis. Iron is required for cell growth and proliferation, and changes in intracellular iron availability can have significant effects on cell cycle regulation, cellular metabolism, and cell division. Perhaps not surpris...

Accumulating evidence suggests that alcohol, hepatitis C virus infection, steatosis with obesity, and insulin resistance are accompanied by iron overload states. Phlebotomy and oral iron chelators are effective treatments for these conditions and for hemochromatosis. However, the mechanisms by which iron depletion improves clinical factors remain unclear. We examined the effect of iron depletio...