Effect of Systemic Iron Overload and a Chelation Therapy in a Mouse Model of the Neurodegenerative Disease Hereditary Ferritinopathy

• Published in: PloS one 2016-08, Vol.11 (8), p.e0161341-e0161341
• Main Authors: Garringer, Holly J, Irimia, Jose M, Li, Wei, Goodwin, Charles B, Richine, Briana, Acton, Anthony, Chan, Rebecca J, Peacock, Munro, Muhoberac, Barry B, Ghetti, Bernardino, Vidal, Ruben
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agglomeration; Analysis; Animals; Apoferritins - metabolism; Biology and Life Sciences; Care and treatment; Cell Survival; Cells, Cultured; Central nervous system; Chelating agents; Chelation; Chelation Therapy; Complications and side effects; Damage accumulation; Deferiprone; Disease Models, Animal; Embryo fibroblasts; Embryos; Female; Ferritin; Fibroblasts; Fibroblasts - cytology; Fibroblasts - drug effects; Fibroblasts - metabolism; Homeostasis; Humans; In vivo methods and tests; Inclusion bodies; Iron; Iron - adverse effects; Iron Chelating Agents - administration & dosage; Iron Chelating Agents - pharmacology; Iron content; Iron Metabolism Disorders - drug therapy; Iron Metabolism Disorders - metabolism; Iron Overload - drug therapy; Iron Overload - metabolism; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mice; Movement disorders; Mutation; Neuroaxonal Dystrophies - drug therapy; Neuroaxonal Dystrophies - metabolism; Neurodegeneration; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neuronal-glial interactions; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Pathology; Physiological aspects; Pyridones - administration & dosage; Pyridones - pharmacology; Research and Analysis Methods; Rodents; Therapy; Tissues
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161341

Mutations in the ferritin light chain (FTL) gene cause the neurodegenerative disease neuroferritinopathy or hereditary ferritinopathy (HF). HF is characterized by a severe movement disorder and by the presence of nuclear and cytoplasmic iron-containing ferritin inclusion bodies (IBs) in glia and neurons throughout the central nervous system (CNS) and in tissues of multiple organ systems. Herein, using primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts from a mouse model of HF, we show significant intracellular accumulation of ferritin and an increase in susceptibility to oxidative damage when cells are exposed to iron. Treatment of the cells with the iron chelator deferiprone (DFP) led to a significant improvement in cell viability and a decrease in iron content. In vivo, iron overload and DFP treatment of the mouse model had remarkable effects on systemic iron homeostasis and ferritin deposition, without significantly affecting CNS pathology. Our study highlights the role of iron in modulating ferritin aggregation in vivo in the disease HF. It also puts emphasis on the potential usefulness of a therapy based on chelators that can target the CNS to remove and redistribute iron and to resolubilize or prevent ferritin aggregation while maintaining normal systemic iron stores.