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Review
. 2025 May;57(5):1601-1608.
doi: 10.1007/s11255-024-04302-3. Epub 2024 Dec 16.

Research progress of traditional Chinese medicines in regulating acute kidney injury-related ferroptosis: a literature review

Tao Peng  1 , Mingquan Li  2   3
Affiliations
Review

Research progress of traditional Chinese medicines in regulating acute kidney injury-related ferroptosis: a literature review

Tao Peng et al. Int Urol Nephrol. 2025 May.

Abstract

Ferroptosis plays a significant role in the pathological mechanism of acute kidney injury (AKI) for many etiologies. The characteristics of ferroptosis involve many aspects, including iron metabolism, lipid metabolism, and glutathione metabolism. In terms of iron metabolism, ferroptosis involves the accumulation of labile iron; in terms of lipid metabolism, ferroptosis involves the peroxidation of lipids, especially certain phospholipids; in terms of glutathione metabolism, ferroptosis involves the reduction of reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, leading to a decrease in the activity of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). A lot of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have been reported to have a protective effect against AKI, and many of these TCMs have shown a close association with regulating ferroptosis in ameliorating AKI. While the mechanisms through which these TCMs regulate ferroptosis associated with AKI are intricate, many of their targets are linked to the inhibition of lipid peroxidation or the regulation of iron metabolism. This article discusses some aspects of AKI and ferroptosis, and reviews some research progress on the regulation of AKI-related ferroptosis by TCMs.

Keywords: Acute kidney injury; Ferroptosis; Iron metabolism; Lipid peroxidation; Traditional Chinese medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that there are no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The brief process of ferroptosis and the main mechanisms by which cells resist ferroptosis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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