Yang Xinyu, Wang Xianghong, Yang Zhe, Lu Hongyun
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhuhai People's Hospital (The Affiliated Hospital of Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhuhai Clinical Medical College of Jinan University), Zhuhai, China.
Curr Obes Rep. 2025 Jan 3;14(1):4. doi: 10.1007/s13679-024-00600-0.
Review the latest data regarding the intersection of adipose tissue (AT) and iron to meet the needs of AT metabolism and the progression of related diseases.
Iron is involved in fundamental biological metabolic processes and is precisely fine-tuned within the body to maintain cellular, tissue and even systemic iron homeostasis. AT not only serves as an energy storage depot but also represents the largest endocrine organ in the human body, maintaining systemic metabolic homeostasis. It is involved in physiological processes such as energy storage, insulin sensitivity regulation and lipid metabolism. As a unique iron-sensing tissue, AT expresses related regulatory factors, including the classic hepcidin, ferroportin (FPN), iron regulatory protein/iron responsive element (IRP/IRE) and ferritin. Consequently, the interaction between AT and iron is intricately intertwined. Imbalance of iron homeostasis produces the potential risks of steatosis, impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, leading to AT dysfunction diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Despite the role of AT iron has garnered increasing attention in recent years, a comprehensive review that systematically organizes the connection between iron and AT remains lacking. Given the necessity of iron homeostasis, emphasizing its potential impact on AT function and metabolism regulation provides valuable insights into physiological effects such as adipocyte differentiation and thermogenesis. Futhermore, regulators including adipokines, mitochondria and macrophages have been mentioned, along with analyzing the novel perspective of iron as a key mediator influencing the fat-gut crosstalk.
回顾关于脂肪组织（AT）与铁相互作用的最新数据，以满足AT代谢需求及相关疾病的进展。
铁参与基本的生物代谢过程，并在体内进行精确微调以维持细胞、组织乃至全身的铁稳态。AT不仅作为能量储存库，还代表人体最大的内分泌器官，维持全身代谢稳态。它参与能量储存、胰岛素敏感性调节和脂质代谢等生理过程。作为一种独特的铁感应组织，AT表达相关调节因子，包括经典的铁调素、铁转运蛋白（FPN）、铁调节蛋白/铁反应元件（IRP/IRE）和铁蛋白。因此，AT与铁之间的相互作用错综复杂。铁稳态失衡会产生脂肪变性、葡萄糖耐量受损和胰岛素抵抗的潜在风险，导致AT功能障碍性疾病，包括肥胖、2型糖尿病和代谢功能障碍相关脂肪性肝病（MASLD）。尽管近年来AT铁的作用越来越受到关注，但仍缺乏系统梳理铁与AT之间联系的全面综述。鉴于铁稳态的必要性，强调其对AT功能和代谢调节的潜在影响，为脂肪细胞分化和产热等生理效应提供了有价值的见解。此外，还提到了包括脂肪因子、线粒体和巨噬细胞在内的调节因子，并分析了铁作为影响脂肪-肠道相互作用的关键介质的新视角。
