Current Use of Fenton Reaction in Drugs and Food

Abstract

Iron is the most abundant mineral in the human body and plays essential roles in sustaining life, such as the transport of oxygen to systemic organs. The Fenton reaction is the reaction between iron and hydrogen peroxide, generating hydroxyl radical, which is highly reactive and highly toxic to living cells. "Ferroptosis", a programmed cell death in which the Fenton reaction is closely involved, has recently received much attention. Furthermore, various applications of the Fenton reaction have been reported in the medical and nutritional fields, such as cancer treatment or sterilization. Here, this review summarizes the recent growing interest in the usefulness of iron and its biological relevance through basic and practical information of the Fenton reaction and recent reports.

Keywords: Fenton reaction; antioxidants; cancer; hydrogen peroxide; hygiene; iron; nanomedicine; oxidative stress; polyphenol; vitamin C.

Figure 1

Distribution of iron in the body and the main organs involved in the regulation of iron metabolism (modified from permission from [39] under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (accessed on 28 July 2022)). Values data for iron levels are obtained from Lesjac et al. [40]).

Figure 2

Absorption behavior of iron in the intestine and the interaction with molecules derived from food (modified with permission from [50] under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (accessed on 28 July 2022)).

Figure 3

Typical model of reactive oxygen species generation via the Fenton reaction in a biological environment. CAT, catalase; GPx, glutathione peroxidase; GR, glutathione reductase; GSH, reduced glutathione; GSSG, oxidized glutathione; NADPH, reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate; NADP ⁺, oxidized form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate; SOD, superoxide dismutase (modified with permission from [61] under the Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ (accessed on 28 July 2022)).

Figure 4

Depicted representative scheme of cell apoptosis by Fe-containing nanomedicines via the Fenton reaction. DOX, doxorubicin; APAP, amionoacetophen; BSA, bovine serum albumin; HA, hyaluronic acid; SOD, superoxide dismutase; ROS, reactive oxygen species.