Review Article

Iron and Neurodegeneration: From Cellular Homeostasis to Disease

Figure 1

The brain iron homeostasis. Iron (Fe) binds to transferrin (Tf), enters the brain through the transferrin receptors (TfR) by endocytosis, and translocates across the endosomal membrane through the divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1). Lactoferrin receptors (LfR) provide another pathway to transport Fe from Fe containing lactoferrin across the cell membranes. Inside the cell Fe binds to H-ferritin and accumulates around the neuromelanin. Ferroportin (Fpn) transports Fe2+ outside the neuron that is oxidized to Fe3+ by ceruloplasmin promoting its binding to Tf.
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