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Iron Pathways and Iron Chelation Approaches in Viral, Microbial, and Fungal Infections

Ravneet Chhabra1, Aishwarya Saha1, Ashkon Chamani1

  • 1Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.

Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 30, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Iron is vital for cellular functions and microbial pathogenicity. Targeting microbial iron uptake pathways or using iron chelators may offer novel strategies for treating infections.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Microbiology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Iron is an essential element for all organisms, playing a critical role in cellular metabolism and DNA replication.
  • Microbial iron acquisition and utilization mechanisms are closely linked to host-pathogen interactions and infection progression.
  • Viruses, bacteria, and fungi employ diverse strategies to obtain and use iron, impacting their growth, virulence, and pathogenicity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of iron in the pathogenicity of various microorganisms.
  • To explore the potential of targeting microbial iron pathways for infection control.
  • To assess the clinical feasibility of iron chelation therapy against microbial infections.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review synthesizing findings on iron metabolism in pathogens.
  • Analysis of microbial iron acquisition and utilization strategies.
  • Evaluation of existing and potential therapeutic interventions targeting iron.

Main Results:

  • Microbial iron pathways are crucial for their survival, growth, and virulence.
  • Interfering with microbial iron acquisition can inhibit pathogenicity.
  • Iron chelation presents a promising therapeutic avenue for managing infections.

Conclusions:

  • Controlling iron availability is a viable strategy to combat microbial infections.
  • Targeting microbial iron uptake pathways offers potential for novel antimicrobial therapies.
  • Iron chelation therapy may provide clinical benefits in treating infections caused by various microorganisms.
Keywords:
fungigram-negative bacteriagram-positive bacteriahepatitis C virushuman immunodeficiency virusiron chelatorsiron uptake pathways

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