New findings suggest that in severe cases of COVID-19, the lungs can be severely damaged, leading to serious health issues such as pneumonia, inflammation, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The underlying cause of these various reactions in the lungs has been unknown until now.
A recent study conducted by scientists at Columbia and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center has provided insight into this puzzle. The study revealed that ferroptosis, a type of cell death, occurs in the lungs of severe COVID-19 patients. The research also indicates that stopping ferroptosis can lead to better patient outcomes.The discovery of ferroptosis, first identified at Columbia in 2012, is the primary mechanism of cell death responsible for COVID-19 lung disease. This discovery suggests that intentionally stopping ferroptosis with potential therapeutic drugs could lead to better outcomes for COVID-19.
Professor Brent Stockwell, one of the study’s lead authors, stated, “This finding provides crucial insights into how COVID-19 impacts the body and will significantly enhance our ability to combat life-threatening cases of the disease.”
Professor Stockwell initially reported the occurrence of ferroptosis in 2012. This unique form of cell death causes certain cells to die.Ferroptosis is a form of cell death that causes cells to collapse from the outside due to their fat layers breaking down. It is different from the more common type of cell death, which involves cells breaking down molecules in their interior and occurs in both disease and normal aging processes.
Research from Stockwell’s lab has shown that ferroptosis is important for normal bodily functions, but it can also harm and kill healthy cells in patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
While ferroptosis can be damaging, recent studies suggest that it could also have positive uses. Researchers are looking into intentionally inducing ferroptosis for beneficial purposes. Toward precision medicine: A cancer cell program death Biol.
The ability to inhibit ferroptosis could provide new strategies for addressing cell death in diseases such as cancer and COVID-19 lung disease. “We are optimistic that these significant new discoveries could enhance our ability to combat this harmful disease, which, in many cases, still reduces health outcomes and leads to death,” Stockwell stated.Tan and colleagues (2024) found that fatal COVID-19 pulmonary disease is associated with ferroptosis.
