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HIF2α activation and mitochondrial deficit due to iron chelation cause retinal atrophy.

EMBO molecular medicine | 2023

Iron accumulation causes cell death and disrupts tissue functions, which necessitates chelation therapy to reduce iron overload. However, clinical utilization of deferoxamine (DFO), an iron chelator, has been documented to give rise to systemic adverse effects, including ocular toxicity. This study provided the pathogenic and molecular basis for DFO-related retinopathy and identified retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) as the target tissue in DFO-related retinopathy. Our modeling demonstrated the susceptibility of RPE to DFO compared with the neuroretina. Intriguingly, we established upregulation of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) 2α and mitochondrial deficit as the most prominent pathogenesis underlying the RPE atrophy. Moreover, suppressing hyperactivity of HIF2α and preserving mitochondrial dysfunction by α-ketoglutarate (AKG) protects the RPE against lesions both in vitro and in vivo. This supported our observation that AKG supplementation alleviates visual impairment in a patient undergoing DFO-chelation therapy. Overall, our study established a significant role of iron deficiency in initiating DFO-related RPE atrophy. Inhibiting HIF2α and rescuing mitochondrial function by AKG protect RPE cells and can potentially ameliorate patients' visual function.

Pubmed ID: 36645044 RIS Download

Research resources used in this publication

None found

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Associated grants

  • Agency: NEI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R24 EY028758
  • Agency: NEI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 EY024698
  • Agency: NEI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 EY031354
  • Agency: NEI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 EY026682
  • Agency: NEI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 EY018213
  • Agency: NEI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 EY028131
  • Agency: NCI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: P30 CA013696
  • Agency: NEI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 EY033770
  • Agency: NEI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: U01 EY034590
  • Agency: NIH HHS, United States
    Id: S10 OD028637
  • Agency: NEI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: U01 EY030580
  • Agency: NEI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R24 EY027285
  • Agency: NIH HHS, United States
    Id: U54 OD020351
  • Agency: NIA NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R21 AG050437
  • Agency: NEI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: P30 EY019007

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