Metabolic pathways and systemic significance of iron-regulating molecules in microorganisms

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Abstract

The review aims at analyzing the present-day knowledge of iron-regulating molecules in microorganisms: their synthesis, secretion, the transport systems that facilitate iron uptake into the cell, the role of these molecules in the development of pathological processes in the human body, and the prospects for their use in developing a new generation of antimicrobial agents.

Material and Methods. The authors analyzed full-text articles published in PubMed/Medline from 2021 to 2026. The analysis included full-length articles only. A search for the term “iron-regulating molecules of microorganisms” yielded 78 articles for the specified period. 43 articles that did not correspond to the target topic were excluded from the total list. In total, the analysis included 34 publications found through electronic searching and 16 manually-retrieved articles.

Results. Iron is a mineral essential for the normal functioning of almost all forms of life, and pathogenic microorganisms are no exception. Acting as a cofactor, iron ions are involved in various biochemical processes: the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins, the regulation of virulence factor expression, the metabolism of reactive oxygen species; therefore, its bioavailability is crucial for the metabolism of bacteria and fungi. In the human body, the level of free iron ions is extremely low, since most of it is either in a stored state or bound to metabolic and transport molecules. Thus, despite the abundance of iron in the human body, the amount available to potential pathogens is negligible. To address this deficiency, many microorganisms have developed systems that allow them to thrive under the deficiency of this chemical element in the host organism. Conclusion. The main functions of iron-regulating molecules consist in converting iron bound to proteins or water-soluble compounds into an ionic form accessible to microorganisms. The loss of the ability to synthesize these molecules correlates with a loss of virulence in microorganisms.

About the authors

Oksana V. Boiko

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Astrakhan State Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Author for correspondence.
Email: oboyko08@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3882-9300

Full Professor, Department of Biological Chemistry and Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics; Doctor of Medical Sciences

Russian Federation, Bakinskaya St., 121, Astrakhan, 414000

Aleksandr A. Terentiev

Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education “Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: aaterent@inbox.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8553-0614

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Physical and Medical Chemistry; Doctor of Medical Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor

Russian Federation, Ostrovityanova St., 1, Moscow, 117997

Aleksandr A. Nikolaev

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Astrakhan State Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: chimnik@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6607-430X

Head of the Department of Fundamental Chemistry; Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor

Russian Federation, Bakinskaya St., 121, Astrakhan, 414000

Dariya M. Kozak

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Astrakhan State Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: kodami10@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0008-5469-3902

Associate Professor of Biological Chemistry and Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics; Candidate of Medical Sciences

Russian Federation, Bakinskaya St., 121, Astrakhan, 414000

Yuri A. Kriventsev

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Astrakhan State Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: georgy1630@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0009-2592-0325

Full Professor, Department of Biological Chemistry and Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics; Doctor of Medical Sciences

Russian Federation, Bakinskaya St., 121, Astrakhan, 414000

Rinata A. Bisalieva

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Astrakhan State Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: rinabis@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0003-9814-5098

Associate Professor, Department of Biological Chemistry and Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics; Candidate of Medical Sciences

Russian Federation, Bakinskaya St., 121, Astrakhan, 414000

Rushaniya I. Mukhamedzyanova

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Astrakhan State Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: mrushana132@rambler.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7445-0598

Associate Professor, Department of Biological Chemistry and Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics; Candidate of Medical Sciences

Russian Federation, Bakinskaya St., 121, Astrakhan, 414000

Aziza Kh. Akhmineeva

Federal State Budgetary Military Educational Institution of Higher Education “S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy” of the Ministry of Defense of Russia

Email: aaziza@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9768-4423

Associate Professor, Department of Health Care Organization and Public Health; Doctor of Medical Sciences

Russian Federation, Akademika Lebedeva St., 6Zh, Saint-Petersburg, 194044

Margarita P. Ivanova

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Astrakhan State Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: imp85@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0004-5016-9725

Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Chemistry and Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics

Russian Federation, Bakinskaya St., 121, Astrakhan, 414000

Margarita Yu. Medina

Federal State Budgetary Healthcare Institution “Southern District Medical Center” of the Federal Medical Biological Agency of Russia

Email: aleeraionel@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0007-4933-6153

Doctor, Department of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, Astrakhan Clinical Hospital

Russian Federation, Anatoliya Sergeeva St., 13, Astrakhan, 414000

Maksim Yu. Kriventsev

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Astrakhan State Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: makskr2000@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0009-0002-8207-1701

5th year student

Russian Federation, Bakinskaya St., 121, Astrakhan, 414000

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