Review Article

The Utility of Iron Chelators in the Management of Inflammatory Disorders

Figure 2

Putative involvement of iron in inflammation. Inflammation induces the production of proinflammatory cytokines which can induce the sequestration of iron within cells through the modulation of iron regulatory protein expression (e.g., divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), hepcidin (HAMP), ferritin, and ferroportin1 (FPN)). Increased iron levels, especially in macrophages, may lead to ROS production via the Fenton and Haber-Weiss reactions. ROS in return can increase levels of labile iron and induce oxidative damage of DNA, proteins, and lipids. Additionally, ROS can activate redox-sensitive transcription factors whose targets include proinflammatory cytokines.