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Updated: Apr 11, 2026
Author Spotlight: Tracing the Ferroptotic Signatures and Cell Death Dynamics in Medulloblastoma for Advanced Therapeutics
Published on: March 15, 2024
Ferroptosis in microglial activation: a systematic review and multidata comparison
Ida Pesämaa1, Srinivas Koutarapu2, Henrik Zetterberg1,3,4,5,6,7
1Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenberg 413 45, Sweden.
Abstract:
Ferroptosis is a redox-driven and iron-dependent type of programmed cell death, with lipid peroxidation as a central and required feature of the process. During ferroptosis, cells exert strong proinflammatory effects, suggesting that ferroptosis may play a role in the regulation of inflammation and immune response. However, very few studies have investigated the process of ferroptosis and lipid peroxidation in microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain. In this review, we summarize the concept of ferroptosis and present a list of 120 ferroptosis-relevant proteins, which includes over twice as many entries as the current Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway for ferroptosis. We compare our manually compiled list with microglial activation signatures reported by us and others, revealing ferroptosis-relevant changes in models for microglial activation. Finally, we highlight a selection of ferroptosis-relevant proteins as potential biomarker candidates for ferroptosis.
Insights
Ferroptosis, a cell death process involving lipid peroxidation, is explored in brain immune cells. This study identifies ferroptosis-related proteins and potential biomarkers for microglial activation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Ferroptosis is a regulated cell death pathway characterized by iron dependence and lipid peroxidation.
- This process has proinflammatory effects, suggesting a role in immune responses.
- Microglia, the brain's innate immune cells, are understudied regarding ferroptosis and lipid peroxidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the concept of ferroptosis and its relevance to microglia.
- To compile an extensive list of ferroptosis-related proteins.
- To investigate ferroptosis in the context of microglial activation and identify potential biomarkers.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and manual compilation of ferroptosis-relevant proteins.
- Comparison of compiled protein lists with microglial activation signatures.
- Analysis of ferroptosis-related changes in microglial activation models.
Main Results:
- A comprehensive list of 120 ferroptosis-relevant proteins was generated, significantly expanding existing databases.
- Ferroptosis-related changes were identified in models of microglial activation.
- Several ferroptosis-relevant proteins were highlighted as potential biomarkers for ferroptosis in microglia.
Conclusions:
- Ferroptosis is implicated in microglial activation and brain inflammation.
- The identified proteins offer new insights into ferroptosis mechanisms in microglia.
- Selected proteins show promise as biomarkers for ferroptosis and microglial dysfunction.
