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Updated: May 23, 2025

Ferritinophagy: Assessing the Selective Degradation of Iron by Autophagy in Human Fibroblasts
Published on: February 23, 2024
[Research progress on NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy and related diseases]
Chen Jia1, Hong-Ji Lin2, Fang Cui3
1Department of Clinical Laboratory, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050000, China.
Abstract:
Nuclear receptor co-activator 4 (NCOA4) acts as a selective cargo receptor that binds to ferritin, a cytoplasmic iron storage complex. By mediating ferritinophagy, NCOA4 regulates iron metabolism and releases free iron in the body, thus playing a crucial role in a variety of biological processes, including growth, development, and metabolism. Recent studies have shown that NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy is closely associated with the occurrence and development of iron metabolism-related diseases, such as liver fibrosis, renal cell carcinoma, and neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, a number of clinical drugs have been identified to modulate NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy, significantly affecting disease progression and treatment efficacy. This paper aims to review the current research progress on the role of NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy in related diseases, in order to provide new ideas for targeted clinical therapy.
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