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New Insights in Molecular Mechanism of Micronutrients Metabolism

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Micronutrients and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 April 2025 | Viewed by 3954

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: trace elements; homeostasis; ferroptosis; metabolic disease; nutrition
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Co-Guest Editor
School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: molecular nutrition; trace element metabolism; embryonic development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Micronutrients are vital to human health and play essential roles in metabolism, including energy generation, enzyme catalysis, cell signal transduction, and antioxidant as well as immune defense. Imbalances in micronutrient levels, whether excessive or insufficient, can lead to a series of human diseases. Dietary intake is the primary source of micronutrients, making scientific dietary planning and a balanced diet crucial for meeting the body’s micronutrient needs. The study of the physiological functions of micronutrients has a long history, accumulating valuable experiences in understanding this knowledge. Currently, research on micronutrients continues to make rapid progress, and recent discoveries in mechanisms such as ferroptosis and cuproptosis have propelled this field of study to new heights. Exciting findings have been made in basic medical research and clinical studies. These research advancements provide important insights into our understanding of health and disease, and guide the application of micronutrients.

Prof. Dr. Fudi Wang
Dr. Zhidan Xia
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • micronutrients
  • vitamins
  • iron
  • zinc
  • ferroptosis
  • cuproptosis

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1192 KiB  
Article
Mendelian Randomization Analysis of Systemic Iron Status and Risk of Different Types of Kidney Disease
by Jiahui Zhou, Wanting Shi, Dongya Wu, Shujie Wang, Xinhui Wang, Junxia Min and Fudi Wang
Nutrients 2024, 16(13), 1978; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16131978 - 21 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1459
Abstract
With rapid increases in incidence, diverse subtypes, and complicated etiologies, kidney disease remains a global public health problem. Iron, as an essential trace element, has pleiotropic effects on renal function and the progression of kidney diseases. A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was [...] Read more.
With rapid increases in incidence, diverse subtypes, and complicated etiologies, kidney disease remains a global public health problem. Iron, as an essential trace element, has pleiotropic effects on renal function and the progression of kidney diseases. A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was implemented to determine the potential causal effects between systemic iron status on different kidney diseases. Systemic iron status was represented by four iron-related biomarkers: serum iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation (TfSat), and total iron binding capacity (TIBC). For systemic iron status, 163,511, 246,139, 131,471, and 135,430 individuals were included in the genome-wide association study (GWAS) of serum iron, ferritin, TfSat, and TIBC, respectively. For kidney diseases, 653,143 individuals (15,658 cases and 637,485 controls), 657,076 individuals (8160 cases and 648,916 controls), and 659,320 individuals (10,404 cases and 648,916 controls) were included for immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), acute kidney disease (AKD), and chronic kidney disease (CKD), respectively. Our MR results showed that increased serum iron [odds ratio (OR): 1.10; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.04, 1.16; p < 0.0042], ferritin (OR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.48; p < 0.0042), and TfSat (OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.11; p < 0.0042)] and decreased TIBC (OR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.88, 0.97; p < 0.0042) were associated with elevated IgAN risk. However, no significant associations were found between systemic iron status and AKD or CKD. In our MR study, the genetic evidence supports elevated systemic iron status as a causal effect on IgAN, which suggests a potential protective effect of iron chelation on IgAN patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Molecular Mechanism of Micronutrients Metabolism)
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18 pages, 4316 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Causal Effects of Mineral Metabolism Disorders on Telomere and Mitochondrial DNA: A Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Analysis
by Zhijun Feng, Yinghui Wang, Zhengzheng Fu, Jing Liao, Hui Liu and Meijuan Zhou
Nutrients 2024, 16(10), 1417; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16101417 - 8 May 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1610
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the causal relationships between mineral metabolism disorders, representative of trace elements, and key aging biomarkers: telomere length (TL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN). Utilizing bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis in combination with the two-stage [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to assess the causal relationships between mineral metabolism disorders, representative of trace elements, and key aging biomarkers: telomere length (TL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN). Utilizing bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis in combination with the two-stage least squares (2SLS) method, we explored the causal relationships between mineral metabolism disorders and these aging indicators. Sensitivity analysis can be used to determine the reliability and robustness of the research results. The results confirmed that a positive causal relationship was observed between mineral metabolism disorders and TL (p < 0.05), while the causal relationship with mtDNA-CN was not significant (p > 0.05). Focusing on subgroup analyses of specific minerals, our findings indicated a distinct positive causal relationship between iron metabolism disorders and both TL and mtDNA-CN (p < 0.05). In contrast, disorders in magnesium and phosphorus metabolism did not exhibit significant causal effects on either aging biomarker (p > 0.05). Moreover, reverse MR analysis did not reveal any significant causal effects of TL and mtDNA-CN on mineral metabolism disorders (p > 0.05). The combination of 2SLS with MR analysis further reinforced the positive causal relationship between iron levels and both TL and mtDNA-CN (p < 0.05). Notably, the sensitivity analysis did not indicate significant pleiotropy or heterogeneity within these causal relationships (p > 0.05). These findings highlight the pivotal role of iron metabolism in cellular aging, particularly in regulating TL and sustaining mtDNA-CN, offering new insights into how mineral metabolism disorders influence aging biomarkers. Our research underscores the importance of trace element balance, especially regarding iron intake, in combating the aging process. This provides a potential strategy for slowing aging through the adjustment of trace element intake, laying the groundwork for future research into the relationship between trace elements and healthy aging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Molecular Mechanism of Micronutrients Metabolism)
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