Management of Iron Overload in Resource Poor Nations: A Systematic Review of Phlebotomy and Natural Chelators

Table 1

Selected in vivo studies involving natural products/chelators in iron overload.

Natural product	Experimental model/animals	Important phytochemical constituents	Mechanism (s)	Pharmacological effects/findings	References
Curcuminoids	β-knockout thalassemic mice with iron overload	β-diketone group present in curcuminoids	Iron chelation of plasma nontransferrin bound iron (NTBI)	Decreased levels of NTBI, nonheme iron, and Malondialdehyde (MDA)	[68]
Angel’s wings mushroom (Pleurotus porrigens)	Iron-overloaded mice	Flavonoid and phenolic acids	Chelation of excess iron	Decrease in plasma Fe^3+ content	[105]
Green tea extract (GTE)	β-knockout thalassemic (BKO) mice diagnosed with iron overload	Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)	Anti-oxidation and iron chelation properties	GTE improved liver and pancreatic β-cell activity by decreasing redox iron/free radicals	[144]
Spondias pinnata bark	Swiss albino mice	Gallic acid (GA) and methyl gallate (MG) isolated from Spondias pinnata bark extract	Antioxidation, chelation of free iron, and reducing ferritin-bound iron	Curative effect of GA and MG against iron overload induced hepatic damage	[145]
Clerodendrum colebrookianum leaves	Iron-overloaded swiss albino mice	Flavonoid and phenolic acids	Antioxidation and chelating activities	Hepatoprotective effects	[146]
Nerium indicum leaves	Iron-overloaded mice	Flavonoid and phenolic compounds	Antioxidant and iron-chelating properties	Decreased iron overload-induced toxicity	[147]
Terminalia chebula	Iron-overloaded swiss albino mice	Flavonoid and phenolic compounds	Radical scavenging, chelation, and DNA protective effects	Decreased iron overload-induced toxicity	[148]
Emblica officinalis (EO) fruit extract	Iron-overloaded swiss albino mice	Flavonoid and phenolic compounds	Antioxidation and chelation activities	Reduced liver iron, serum ferritin, and serum enzyme levels	[149]
Wild edible fruit of Prunus nepalensis Ser. (Steud)	Iron-overloaded swiss albino mice	Purpurin, tannic acid, methyl gallate, reserpine, gallic acid, ascorbic acid, catechin, and rutin	Iron chelating, scavenging, and reducing properties	Amelioration of iron overload-induced hepatotoxicity	[150]
Insectivorous plant (Drosera burmannii Vahl.)	Iron-overloaded swiss albino mice	Phenols, flavonoids, carbohydrates, tannins, alkaloids, and ascorbic acid	Iron chelation activity	Reduced liver iron content and reduced liver damage	[151]
Medicago Sativa and Allium Porrum	Iron-overloaded rats	Medicago sativa contains total phenol, flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, triterpenes, and phytosterols	Iron chelation activity	Decrease in serum ferritin and iron concentration	[152]
		Allium porrum contains carotenoids chlorophyll, glycosides, phenols, and flavonoid
Melilotus officinalis	Iron-overloaded rats	Flavonoids and phenolic compounds	Iron chelation and antioxidant properties	Enhanced excretion of iron in urine and feces with vital organ protective effect	[153]