From Iron Metabolism to Ferroptosis: Pathologic Changes in Coronary Heart Disease

Abstract

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is closely related to oxidative stress and inflammatory response and is the most common cardiovascular disease (CVD). Iron is an essential mineral that participates in many physiological and biochemical reactions in the human body. Meanwhile, on the negative side, iron has an active redox capacity, which leads to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation. There is growing evidence that disordered iron metabolism is involved in CHD’s pathological progression. And the result of disordered iron metabolism is associated with iron overload-induced programmed cell death, often called ferroptosis. That features iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Ferroptosis may play a crucial role in the development of CHD, and targeting ferroptosis may be a promising option for treating CHD. Here, we review the mechanisms of iron metabolism in cardiomyocytes (CMs) and explain the correlation between iron metabolism and ferroptosis. Meanwhile, we highlight the specific roles of iron metabolism and ferroptosis in the main pathological progression of CHD.