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THE IRON CYCLE AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN THE LUNG
Citation:
Ghio, A J., C. Piantadosi, J. Turi, F. Yang, AND M. Garrick. THE IRON CYCLE AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN THE LUNG. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. Elsevier Online, New York, NY, 36(7):850-857, (2005).
Impact/Purpose:
To determine if the same proteins that participate in iron uptake in the gut are also employed in the lung to transport iron intracellularly, which may be related to the control of oxidative stress
Description:
While iron is essential for many aspects of cellular function, it can also generate oxygen-based free radicals that result in injury to biological molecules. For this reason, iron acquisition and distribution must be tightly regulated. Constant exposure to the atmosphere, however, results in significant exposure of the lungs to catalytically active iron. Some system of detoxification must exist to prevent the associated generation of oxidative stress in the lungs. We propose that the same proteins that participate in the highly regulated iron uptake in the gut are also employed in the lung to transport iron intracellularly and sequester it in an inactive form within ferritin. Furthermore, these proteins expedite a release of ferritin from lung tissue to the respiratory lining fluid for clearance by the mucociliary pathway or to the reticuloendothelial system for long-term storage. This is likely to be the major method for the control of oxidative stress presented to the respiratory tract.