| Ferritin is responsible for the storage of iron in almost all species. Even though ferritin has been an object of study for some time, there are still many unknowns, such as the role iron released from ferritin plays in disease pathologies and the physiological method of iron loading into ferritin.; In this study I have demonstrated the ability of homocysteine, a risk factor of Alzheimer's disease, to reduce iron in the ferritin core. The reduction of iron leads to the subsequent release of iron from ferritin and the free iron is able to catalyze biological oxidations, such as lipid peroxidation. Also, I have shown that there is a concerted mechanism between heme oxygenase and ferritin in protecting cells from heme-induced oxidative stress. Heme oxygenase catalyzes the degradation of heme to biliverdin, carbon monoxide, and ferrous iron. Ferritin sequesters the ferrous iron into its core for safe storage. |
