Towards conferring cold tolerance: modulating ferroptosis through Fenton chemistry
Towards conferring cold tolerance: modulating ferroptosis through Fenton chemistry
Cooling is an essential method to preserve donor organs before transplantation. However, cooling also has harmful side effects: cells are damaged because iron reactions generate toxic oxygen radicals. This leads to cellular injury and a specific form of cell death, ferroptosis, which compromises donor organs and may affect transplant outcomes.
This thesis of Lucas Gartzke investigated how such damage arises and how it can be mitigated. Studies in cell and organ models showed that early protection against iron- and oxygen radical–driven damage is crucial. Administration of the iron chelator deferasirox reduced tissue injury and cell death, while improving kidney function during and after cold storage. Nature also provides inspiration: hibernators such as the garden dormouse protect their organs from cold by tightly regulating iron homeostasis during cooling and arousal.
These preclinical insights demonstrate that targeted protection against iron- and radical-driven damage may pave the way toward safer and more effective organ preservation, and the development of cold tolerance.