2022, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (32): 5223-5228

Relationship between iron metabolism and ischemic stroke

Fan Yongfu1, Su Kaiqi1, Yuan Jie1, Nie Chenchen1, Ruan Xiaodi1, Duan Zhaoyuan1, Feng Xiaodong1, 2   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke is a major clinically fatal and disabling disease and there is no effective solution yet. Abnormal iron metabolism is related to various physiological and pathophysiological processes, and the latest discovery is that it is closely related to ischemic stroke.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between iron metabolism and ischemic stroke and look for potential new therapeutic targets for ischemic stroke from a novel perspective, in order to guide the treatment of ischemic stroke.
METHODS: We searched for relevant literature from January 2010 to January 2022 in PubMed, CNKI, and WanFang databases. The search terms were “iron metabolism, ischemic stroke, reactive oxygen species, glutathione peroxidase 4, blood-brain barrier, inflammatory factors, excitatory amino acid, Tau, oligodendrocytes, autophagy, iron death, serum ferritin” in English and Chinese. Finally, 82 articles were included for further analysis.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The balance of iron metabolism is essential to maintain the normal life activities of brain neurons. Iron metabolism imbalance can participate in a variety of pathophysiological processes to further aggravate secondary brain injury after cerebral ischemia. (2) Treatments of ischemic stroke with iron metabolism as a target can effectively reduce secondary brain injury after cerebral ischemia and promote nerve function recovery. (3) At present, there are relatively few studies on the relationship between secondary brain injury and iron after ischemic stroke. The detailed pathophysiological mechanism has not yet been elucidated, and related treatment strategies need to be further improved. Therefore, it is necessary to further study the mechanism of iron metabolism after ischemic stroke, which may provide a new target for the treatment of secondary brain injury after ischemic stroke.
Key words: ischemic stroke, iron metabolism, secondary brain injury, reactive oxygen species, iron death