IRON IN HEMOCHROMATOSIS: Deleterious effects of an essential nutrient

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 01.0397

Key words (English)

Agriculture; Economic Aspects; Food; Industrial Manufacture; Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Safety

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK1-CT-2002-00444

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.1 Food, nutrition and health

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
ETH Zürich
Laboratorium für Anorganische Chemie
HCI H 211

Abstract (English)

Normal dietary iron causes organ damage in patients with homozygous Hereditary Hemochromatosis (HH). Heterozygotes (10% of the European population) are at risk for early cardiovascular death. HH patients absorb too much iron and have toxic non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) in plasma. This project intends to identify the mechanism of TBI toxicity, and the damage to vascular endothelium (as target for atherosclerosis) and to the liver. An inexpensive method for NTBI measurement will be developed. Oral iron chelators will be developed to inhibit excess absorption of iron and to scavenge NTBI. Iron absorption, as a key pathogenic mechanism, will be analysed at a molecular level. The project is expected to result in less organ damage and in prevention of early death in HH patients.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 01.0397