AI Article Synopsis
- Folic acid acts as a redox switch, potentially protecting cells from oxidative stress and excess iron by directly controlling iron levels, even in chelated forms.
- It produces 6-formyl pterin during its action as a reducing agent for reactive oxygen species, which is better at oxidizing Fe2+ than folic acid itself.
- Its ability to modulate iron toxicity may be especially important in disease conditions when ascorbic acid levels are low, and this property has been validated using L929 mouse fibroblast cells.
Article Abstract
Acting as a redox switch, folic acid (1) might be a promising iron modulator to protect cellular machinery against oxidative stress and iron overload. The vitamin 1 can directly control the iron concentration by oxidizing it even if present in chelated forms. In addition, during its role as a reducing agent for the biologically relevant reactive oxygen species (ROS), it furnishes 6-formyl pterin. This folate-derived intermediate possesses a stronger Fe2+-oxidizing capacity than 1. Thus, compound 1 can reduce the iron toxicity in two ways. Although, the Fe2+-oxidizing capacity is nullified in the presence of a strong biological reductant like ascorbic acid, this property may play a predominant role during pathogenesis when the cellular ascorbic acid levels deplete significantly. The iron-modulatory property of 1 was also confirmed with the L929 mouse fibroblast cell line.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157340606777724059 | DOI Listing |
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