ReviewBiomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie2021
The role of iron in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and possible treatment with lactoferrin and other iron chelators.
Review in Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 148 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
148 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 248 citations in OpenAlex.
- Therapeutic Potential of Iron Chelators in Viral Diseases: A Systematic Review.Current medicinal chemistry · 2024Pooled it
- Circulating trace elements status in COVID-19 disease: A meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review on SARS-CoV-2-associated fungal coinfections.Journal of medical virology · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effect of Lactoferrin on Clinical Outcomes of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: The LAC Randomized Clinical Trial.Nutrients · 2023Trial
- Article
- Biotechnological Advancements in Ovine Bioactives: Mapping Protein Expression Trends and Immuno-Lipidomic Dynamics for Functional Food Applications.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Vitamins impacting mental/physical well-being during viral pandemics: a mechanistic review based on COVID-19: a comprehensive review.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Review
- Placental ferroptosis and impaired fetal growth in symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.Clinical science (London, England : 1979) · 2026Article
- Identification of Shared Gene Signatures Associated with Alzheimer's Disease and COVID-19 through Bioinformatics Analysis.Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening · 2026Article
- The Time Course of Serum Iron and Serum Ferritin Concentrations Post-COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccinations.Case reports in infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Recent progress in understanding ferroptosis mechanisms in infectious diseases.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
- Mechanism and regulation of iron absorption throughout the life cycle.Journal of advanced research · 2025Review
- Ferroptosis: molecular mechanisms, pathophysiology, and role in pediatric pulmonary diseases.Cell biology and toxicology · 2025Review
- Article
- Role of Ferroptosis on Lung Epithelial Cells in Disease Progression and Treatment: A Review.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2025Review
- TIPE2 suppresses ferroptosis and pro-inflammatory polarization in macrophages triggered by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Lactoferrin-A Regulator of Iron Homeostasis and Its Implications in Cancer.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Ferroptosis in Osteoarthritis: Towards Novel Therapeutic Strategy.Cell proliferation · 2025Review
- Increased serum ferritin is associated with severity of orbital disease in COVID-19-associated rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis: A quantitative analysis.Indian journal of ophthalmology · 2025Article
88 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Iron overload is increasingly implicated as a contributor to the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Indeed, several of the manifestations of COVID-19, such as inflammation, hypercoagulation, hyperferritinemia, and immune dysfunction are also reminiscent of iron overload. Although iron is essential for all living cells, free unbound iron, resulting from iron dysregulation and overload, is very reactive and potentially toxic due to its role in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS react with and damage cellular lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins, with consequent activation of either acute or chronic inflammatory processes implicated in multiple clinical conditions. Moreover, iron-catalyzed lipid damage exerts a direct causative effect on the newly discovered nonapoptotic cell death known as ferroptosis. Unlike apoptosis, ferroptosis is immunogenic and not only leads to amplified cell death but also promotes a series of reactions associated with inflammation. Iron chelators are generally safe and are proven to protect patients in clinical conditions characterized by iron overload. There is also an abundance of evidence that iron chelators possess antiviral activities. Furthermore, the naturally occurring iron chelator lactoferrin (Lf) exerts immunomodulatory as well as anti-inflammatory effects and can bind to several receptors used by coronaviruses thereby blocking their entry into host cells. Iron chelators may consequently be of high therapeutic value during the present COVID-19 pandemic.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.