Interactions Between Iron Metabolism and the Endocannabinoid System in Bacterial Infections

Iron is a key nutritional requirement for a variety of physiological functions, and its metabolism is tightly controlled under homeostatic conditions. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) represents an additional physiological system with a key role in maintaining homeostasis that is known for its role...

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Main Authors: Kayle Brenna Dickson, Juan Zhou, Christian Lehmann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Antibiotics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/6/614
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author Kayle Brenna Dickson
Juan Zhou
Christian Lehmann
author_facet Kayle Brenna Dickson
Juan Zhou
Christian Lehmann
author_sort Kayle Brenna Dickson
collection DOAJ
description Iron is a key nutritional requirement for a variety of physiological functions, and its metabolism is tightly controlled under homeostatic conditions. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) represents an additional physiological system with a key role in maintaining homeostasis that is known for its role in modulating immune responses. Recent research has highlighted intriguing interactions between these systems, including the suppression of iron uptake by the ECS and alterations to the iron-catalyzed Fenton reaction. These interactions are particularly interesting in the context of bacterial infections. As iron is a vital nutrient for bacteria, modulating iron levels using the ECS may be able to control bacterial growth. This review aims to explore the current understanding of how the ECS affects iron homeostasis and its implications for bacterial pathogenesis. In this study, we provide an overview of both iron metabolism and the ECS, focusing on harnessing these systems to develop novel therapeutic strategies to modulate iron metabolism in bacterial infections. By elucidating these complex interactions, we hope to provide new insights into the development of novel treatments for bacterial infections.
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spelling doaj-art-7a85f00db0ba4e72a7968a05b39c9e7b2025-08-20T03:26:15ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822025-06-0114661410.3390/antibiotics14060614Interactions Between Iron Metabolism and the Endocannabinoid System in Bacterial InfectionsKayle Brenna Dickson0Juan Zhou1Christian Lehmann2Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, CanadaDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, CanadaDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, CanadaIron is a key nutritional requirement for a variety of physiological functions, and its metabolism is tightly controlled under homeostatic conditions. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) represents an additional physiological system with a key role in maintaining homeostasis that is known for its role in modulating immune responses. Recent research has highlighted intriguing interactions between these systems, including the suppression of iron uptake by the ECS and alterations to the iron-catalyzed Fenton reaction. These interactions are particularly interesting in the context of bacterial infections. As iron is a vital nutrient for bacteria, modulating iron levels using the ECS may be able to control bacterial growth. This review aims to explore the current understanding of how the ECS affects iron homeostasis and its implications for bacterial pathogenesis. In this study, we provide an overview of both iron metabolism and the ECS, focusing on harnessing these systems to develop novel therapeutic strategies to modulate iron metabolism in bacterial infections. By elucidating these complex interactions, we hope to provide new insights into the development of novel treatments for bacterial infections.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/6/614iron metabolismendocannabinoid systemhomeostasisiron chelation
spellingShingle Kayle Brenna Dickson
Juan Zhou
Christian Lehmann
Interactions Between Iron Metabolism and the Endocannabinoid System in Bacterial Infections
Antibiotics
iron metabolism
endocannabinoid system
homeostasis
iron chelation
title Interactions Between Iron Metabolism and the Endocannabinoid System in Bacterial Infections
title_full Interactions Between Iron Metabolism and the Endocannabinoid System in Bacterial Infections
title_fullStr Interactions Between Iron Metabolism and the Endocannabinoid System in Bacterial Infections
title_full_unstemmed Interactions Between Iron Metabolism and the Endocannabinoid System in Bacterial Infections
title_short Interactions Between Iron Metabolism and the Endocannabinoid System in Bacterial Infections
title_sort interactions between iron metabolism and the endocannabinoid system in bacterial infections
topic iron metabolism
endocannabinoid system
homeostasis
iron chelation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/6/614
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AT christianlehmann interactionsbetweenironmetabolismandtheendocannabinoidsysteminbacterialinfections