Blood: Ferritin plays an important protective role in iron steady state and liver iron poisoning

Although serum-rich metal binding proteins, transferrin (encoded by the Trf gene), are mainly synthesized in the liver, its function in the liver is not clearYu et albuilt a mouse model (Trf-LKO) of liver-specific knockout of Trf, which is viable and fertile, but whose red blood cell production is impaired and iron metabolism changesIn addition, feeding Trf-LKO mice on a high-iron diet increased their susceptibility to iron death-inducing liver fibrosisimportant, the researchers also found that treating Trf-LKO mice with iron death inhibitors was effective in saving liver fibrosis caused by high-iron or carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) injectionsIn addition, the expression of liver Slc39a14 in depleted Trf-LKO mice can also significantly save liver iron accumulation, thereby reducing iron death-induced liver fibrosis caused by high iron or CCl4 injections, the researchers also found that serum-to-ferritin and liver-to-ferritin levels were significantly lower in patients with cirrhosis compared to the healthy control group, and significantly higher levels of hepatic iron and lipid peroxidation, this study shows that hepatic ferritin plays a protective role in maintaining liver function, providing a possible therapeutic target for preventing iron death-induced liver fibrosis