title: Leishmania and its quest for iron: An update and overview.
abstract: Parasites of genus Leishmania are the causative agents of complex neglected diseases called leishmaniasis and continue to be a significant health concern globally. Iron is a vital nutritional requirement for virtually all organisms, including pathogenic trypanosomatid parasites, and plays a crucial role in many facets of cellular metabolism as a cofactor of several enzymes. Iron acquisition is essential for the survival of parasites. Yet parasites are also vulnerable to the toxicity of iron and reactive oxygen species. The aim of this review is to provide an update on the current knowledge about iron acquisition and usage by Leishmania species. We have also discussed about host strategy to modulate iron availability and the strategies deployed by Leishmania parasites to overcome iron withholding defences and thus favour parasite growth within host macrophages. Since iron plays central roles in the host's response and parasite metabolism, a comprehensive understanding of the iron metabolism is beneficial to identify potential viable therapeutic opportunities against leishmaniasis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Dept. of Biochemistry, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Agamkuan, Patna, India.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaidi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Dept. of Biochemistry, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Agamkuan, Patna, India.
authors.forename: Krishn Pratap
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Dept. of Biochemistry, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Agamkuan, Patna, India. Electronic address: vahab_ali@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Vahab
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ali
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D005296:Ferrous Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D056747:Immunomodulation; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D035925:Iron-Regulatory Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007891:Leishmania / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction
chemical_list: D005296:Ferrous Compounds; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents; D035925:Iron-Regulatory Proteins; D007501:Iron
keywords: Iron homeostasis; Leishmania; Macrophage