Iron metabolism and chronic inflammation in IgA nephropathy

Abstract

IgA nephropathy (IgAN), an immune-mediated chronic inflammatory kidney disease, is the most common primary glomerular disease in Asia, especially in China and Japan. The pathogenesis of IgAN is complex, and the main cause of IgAN is explained by the ‘multiple hit’ theory, which states that the deposition of immune complexes in renal mesangial cells induces chronic inflammation that leads to kidney damage. Chronic inflammation is associated with iron metabolism, which also plays an essential role in the pathogenesis, progression, diagnosis and prognosis of IgAN. Overall, this review aimed to explore the application of iron metabolism in IgAN by systematically elaborating the relationship between iron metabolism and chronic inflammation in IgAN to speculate on the possible diagnostic and therapeutic significance of iron metabolism indicators in IgAN.

Keywords:

• IgA nephropathy
• iron metabolism
• chronic inflammation
• ferroptosis
• treatment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 81870498, No. 82000696], Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province [No. 2021JJ40925] and Wisdom Accumulation and Talent Cultivation Project of the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University [YX202207].