Iron, atherosclerosis, and neurodegeneration: a key role for cholesterol in promoting iron-dependent oxidative damage?
This article reviews the roles and interactions of iron, atherosclerosis, and neurodegeneration. It highlights the importance of cholesterol in promoting iron-dependent oxidative damage. An intriguing possibility is that hypercholesterolemia can increase brain iron load and both the aggregation of beta-amyloid and the ability of iron on plaques to catalyze oxidative damage. This could explain why hypercholesterolemia is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Further work is necessary to study the mechanism of increased iron transport across the blood brain barrier in atherosclerosis.
Ong
Wei-Yi
WY
Department of Anatomy, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119260. antongwy@nus.edu.sg
Halliwell
Barry
B
D000818:Animals; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*
D002784:Cholesterol; D007501:Iron