Ruifeng Liang , Jiafen Zhang , Yan Luo , Yizhe Yang , Ting Zhou , Siyi Li , Jiawei Liu , Bingbing Zhang , Qiao Niu , Hongmei Zhang , Xiaojiang Qin , Junhong Gao
{"title":"ncoa4介导的铁蛋白自噬在铝诱导的PC12细胞铁凋亡中的作用及机制","authors":"Ruifeng Liang , Jiafen Zhang , Yan Luo , Yizhe Yang , Ting Zhou , Siyi Li , Jiawei Liu , Bingbing Zhang , Qiao Niu , Hongmei Zhang , Xiaojiang Qin , Junhong Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.fct.2025.115699","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aluminum (Al) can accumulate in the brain and cause significant neurotoxicity, with neuronal death being a major contributor to aluminum-induced cognitive decline. Recent studies highlight the involvement of Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 4 (NCOA4)-mediated ferritinophagy and ferroptosis in this process, but their specific roles remain unclear. In this study, PC12 cells were treated with aluminum maltolate [Al(mal)<sub>3</sub>], with or without deferoxamine (DFO), a ferroptosis inhibitor, to explore the role of ferroptosis in aluminum-induced toxicity. Ferritinophagy was further examined using 3-Methyladenine (3-MA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting NCOA4. Al(mal)<sub>3</sub> treatment increased intracellular iron, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, while reducing glutathione (GSH), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) expression—hallmarks of ferroptosis. DFO and inhibition of ferritinophagy reversed these effects. Moreover, suppression of NCOA4 restored ferritin levels and improved iron homeostasis. These findings suggest that aluminum may activate NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy, leading to disrupted iron metabolism, oxidative stress, and ferroptosis in neuronal cells, thereby contributing to its neurotoxic effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":317,"journal":{"name":"Food and Chemical Toxicology","volume":"205 ","pages":"Article 115699"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"The effect and mechanism of NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy in aluminum-induced ferroptosis of PC12 cells\",\"authors\":\"Ruifeng Liang , Jiafen Zhang , Yan Luo , Yizhe Yang , Ting Zhou , Siyi Li , Jiawei Liu , Bingbing Zhang , Qiao Niu , Hongmei Zhang , Xiaojiang Qin , Junhong Gao\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.fct.2025.115699\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><div>Aluminum (Al) can accumulate in the brain and cause significant neurotoxicity, with neuronal death being a major contributor to aluminum-induced cognitive decline. Recent studies highlight the involvement of Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 4 (NCOA4)-mediated ferritinophagy and ferroptosis in this process, but their specific roles remain unclear. In this study, PC12 cells were treated with aluminum maltolate [Al(mal)<sub>3</sub>], with or without deferoxamine (DFO), a ferroptosis inhibitor, to explore the role of ferroptosis in aluminum-induced toxicity. Ferritinophagy was further examined using 3-Methyladenine (3-MA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting NCOA4. Al(mal)<sub>3</sub> treatment increased intracellular iron, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, while reducing glutathione (GSH), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) expression—hallmarks of ferroptosis. DFO and inhibition of ferritinophagy reversed these effects. Moreover, suppression of NCOA4 restored ferritin levels and improved iron homeostasis. These findings suggest that aluminum may activate NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy, leading to disrupted iron metabolism, oxidative stress, and ferroptosis in neuronal cells, thereby contributing to its neurotoxic effects.</div></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":317,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Food and Chemical Toxicology\",\"volume\":\"205 \",\"pages\":\"Article 115699\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":3.5000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-08-13\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Food and Chemical Toxicology\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"97\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691525004673\",\"RegionNum\":3,\"RegionCategory\":\"医学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q2\",\"JCRName\":\"FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Food and Chemical Toxicology","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691525004673","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
The effect and mechanism of NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy in aluminum-induced ferroptosis of PC12 cells
Aluminum (Al) can accumulate in the brain and cause significant neurotoxicity, with neuronal death being a major contributor to aluminum-induced cognitive decline. Recent studies highlight the involvement of Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 4 (NCOA4)-mediated ferritinophagy and ferroptosis in this process, but their specific roles remain unclear. In this study, PC12 cells were treated with aluminum maltolate [Al(mal)3], with or without deferoxamine (DFO), a ferroptosis inhibitor, to explore the role of ferroptosis in aluminum-induced toxicity. Ferritinophagy was further examined using 3-Methyladenine (3-MA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting NCOA4. Al(mal)3 treatment increased intracellular iron, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, while reducing glutathione (GSH), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) expression—hallmarks of ferroptosis. DFO and inhibition of ferritinophagy reversed these effects. Moreover, suppression of NCOA4 restored ferritin levels and improved iron homeostasis. These findings suggest that aluminum may activate NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy, leading to disrupted iron metabolism, oxidative stress, and ferroptosis in neuronal cells, thereby contributing to its neurotoxic effects.
期刊介绍:
Food and Chemical Toxicology (FCT), an internationally renowned journal, that publishes original research articles and reviews on toxic effects, in animals and humans, of natural or synthetic chemicals occurring in the human environment with particular emphasis on food, drugs, and chemicals, including agricultural and industrial safety, and consumer product safety. Areas such as safety evaluation of novel foods and ingredients, biotechnologically-derived products, and nanomaterials are included in the scope of the journal. FCT also encourages submission of papers on inter-relationships between nutrition and toxicology and on in vitro techniques, particularly those fostering the 3 Rs.
The principal aim of the journal is to publish high impact, scholarly work and to serve as a multidisciplinary forum for research in toxicology. Papers submitted will be judged on the basis of scientific originality and contribution to the field, quality and subject matter. Studies should address at least one of the following:
-Adverse physiological/biochemical, or pathological changes induced by specific defined substances
-New techniques for assessing potential toxicity, including molecular biology
-Mechanisms underlying toxic phenomena
-Toxicological examinations of specific chemicals or consumer products, both those showing adverse effects and those demonstrating safety, that meet current standards of scientific acceptability.
Authors must clearly and briefly identify what novel toxic effect (s) or toxic mechanism (s) of the chemical are being reported and what their significance is in the abstract. Furthermore, sufficient doses should be included in order to provide information on NOAEL/LOAEL values.