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Review
. 2018 Oct;31(5):705-714.
doi: 10.1007/s10534-018-0134-2. Epub 2018 Jul 24.

Iron metabolism in diabetes-induced Alzheimer's disease: a focus on insulin resistance in the brain

Ji Yeon Chung  1 , Hyung-Seok Kim  2 , Juhyun Song  3
Affiliations
Free PMC article
Review

Iron metabolism in diabetes-induced Alzheimer's disease: a focus on insulin resistance in the brain

Ji Yeon Chung et al. Biometals. 2018 Oct.
Free PMC article

Erratum in

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by an excessive accumulation of toxic amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and memory dysfunction. The onset of AD is influenced by age, genetic background, and impaired glucose metabolism in the brain. Several studies have demonstrated that diabetes involving insulin resistance and glucose tolerance could lead to AD, ultimately resulting in cognitive dysfunction. Even though the relationship between diabetes and AD was indicated by significant evidences, the critical mechanisms and metabolic alterations in diabetes induced AD are not clear until now. Recently, iron metabolism has been shown to play multiple roles in the central nervous system (CNS). Iron deficiency and overload are associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Iron binds to Aβ and subsequently regulates Aβ toxicity in the CNS. In addition, previous studies have shown that iron is involved in the aggravation of insulin resistance. Considering these effects of iron metabolism in CNS, we expect that iron metabolism may play crucial roles in diabetic AD brain. Thus, we review the recent evidence regarding the relationship between diabetes-induced AD and iron metabolism.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease (AD); Amyloid beta (Aβ); Diabetes; Insulin resistance; Iron.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The schematic image between insulin resistance caused by iron overload and AD
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