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This book provides a state-of-the-art overview on the role of bioiron in health and disease. Iron is an essential constituent of simple and complex organisms and has played a critical role in the origin of life. Cells utilize iron for energy metabolism, oxygen transport, and several biochemical reactions due to its flexible coordination chemistry and its unique ability to serve both as electron donor and acceptor. The term bioiron was coined to emphasize the importance of iron in biology and medicine.
Even though iron is an abundant metal, its bioavailability is limiting. This often leads to iron-deficient states, which manifest in anemia and other co-morbidities. In fact, iron deficiency is the most common medical condition worldwide. On the other hand, excess iron is potentially toxic due to its redox reactivity. Iron toxicity is illustrated in pathologies of iron overload disorders, such as hereditary hemochromatosis or iron-loading anemias. Deregulation of iron metabolism is also observed in prevalent metabolic, cardiovascular, or neurological disorders.
Our knowledge of iron metabolism has dramatically increased during the last 30-40 years with the discovery of elegant iron homeostatic networks that operate at the cellular and systemic levels. These include the IRE/IRP regulatory system and the hepcidin/ferroportin axis. The iron hormone hepcidin has emerged as a master regulator of systemic iron traffic and as a pharmacological target for iron-related disorders.
The book offers a comprehensive overview of the rapidly growing bioiron field and aims to attract the attention of students, basic scientists, and clinicians.
Über den Autor / die Autorin
Dr. Kostas Pantopoulos
, PhD., is a Professor of Experimental Medicine at McGill University and Senior Investigator at the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital (1999 – Present). Dr. Pantopoulos earned his PhD in Biochemistry at the Aristotle University (Greece). He had his post-doctoral training with M. W. Hentze at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Germany. Dr. Pantopoulos is an internationally recognized scientist in the field of iron metabolism. Research in his laboratory is focusing on regulation of iron metabolism at the cellular and systemic level. Dr. Pantopoulos' laboratory has been continuously supported by extramural funds from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Quebéc (FRSQ), the Cancer Research Society, the Canadian Liver Foundation, and other agencies. Dr. Pantopoulos has received prestigious career awards from CIHR and FRQS and is currently treasurer of the BioIron International Society for the Study of Iron in Biology and Medicine. He is serving in reviewing panels of CIHR and the European Commission and has been ad hoc reviewer for funding agencies in several countries. He is serving in the editorial board of Blood Red Cells & Iron, HemaSphere, Antioxidants, PLoS One, Frontiers in Pharmacology and Frontiers in Hematology. He has previously edited the book “Principles of Free Radical Biomedicine” (2012) Volumes 1-3 (eds Pantopoulos, K. and Schipper, H. M.), Nova Science Publishers, New York, NY.
Zusammenfassung
This book provides a state-of-the-art overview on the role of bioiron in health and disease. Iron is an essential constituent of simple and complex organisms and has played a critical role in the origin of life. Cells utilize iron for energy metabolism, oxygen transport, and several biochemical reactions due to its flexible coordination chemistry and its unique ability to serve both as electron donor and acceptor. The term “bioiron” was coined to emphasize the importance of iron in biology and medicine.
Even though iron is an abundant metal, its bioavailability is limiting. This often leads to iron-deficient states, which manifest in anemia and other co-morbidities. In fact, iron deficiency is the most common medical condition worldwide. On the other hand, excess iron is potentially toxic due to its redox reactivity. Iron toxicity is illustrated in pathologies of iron overload disorders, such as hereditary hemochromatosis or iron-loading anemias. Deregulation of iron metabolism is also observed in prevalent metabolic, cardiovascular, or neurological disorders.
Our knowledge of iron metabolism has dramatically increased during the last 30-40 years with the discovery of elegant iron homeostatic networks that operate at the cellular and systemic levels. These include the IRE/IRP regulatory system and the hepcidin/ferroportin axis. The iron hormone hepcidin has emerged as a master regulator of systemic iron traffic and as a pharmacological target for iron-related disorders.
The book offers a comprehensive overview of the rapidly growing bioiron field and aims to attract the attention of students, basic scientists, and clinicians.
