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Oestrogen defends against kidney damage caused by iron-dependent cell death

Differences in protection against ferroptosis explain why men and postmenopausal women are more susceptible than premenopausal women to acute kidney injury.
By
  1. Tom Vanden Berghe

    1. Tom Vanden Berghe is in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp 2610, Belgium, and the Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

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Acute kidney injury is a considerable clinical challenge, with high rates of illness and few targeted therapies. Epidemiological studies have consistently shown that women — particularly premenopausal women — are less likely to experience acute kidney injury than men are, and have better outcomes1. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these sex-specific differences have remained obscure. Writing in Nature, Tonnus et al.2 unveil a compelling explanation rooted in ferroptosis — a form of regulated cell death that is driven by the iron-dependent peroxidation of lipids3.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02422-z

References

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  2. Tonnus, W. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09389-x (2025).

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Competing Interests

T.V.B. holds patents related to ferroptosis inhibitors. T.V.B. is founder of FiriX Therapeutics.

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