Title:Protective Effects of Curcumin against Iron-induced Toxicity
Volume: 23
Issue: 8
Author(s): Nastaran Moinipour, Mahdi Barati, Amirhossein Sahebkar*, Milad Iranshahy and Abolfazl Shakeri*
Affiliation:
- Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
- School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Keywords:
Iron overload, curcumin, toxicity, antioxidant, chelation, phytochemical.
Abstract: Iron is an essential element in cellular metabolism that participates in many biochemical
reactions. Nevertheless, iron overload in the body is the cause of damage in some organs including
the liver, glands, brain, heart, gastrointestinal tract and lung. Iron chelation therapy could be considered
an effective approach for removing excess iron. Deferoxamine, deferiprone and deferasirox
are three common iron chelators in clinical practice but cause several side effects. In this context,
the use of curcumin, a dietary phytochemical derived from turmeric, as a natural and safe antioxidant
with iron-chelating activity may be a useful strategy for the management of iron overload. This
review focuses on the deleterious effect of iron accumulation in different organs of the body as well
as the therapeutic potential of curcumin against iron-induced toxicity.