Copper chelation and interleukin-6 proinflammatory cytokine effects on expression of different proteins involved in iron metabolism in HepG2 cell line

Background In vertebrates, there is an intimate relationship between copper and iron homeostasis. Copper deficiency, which leads to a defect in ceruloplasmin enzymatic activity, has a strong effect on iron homeostasis resulting in cellular iron retention. Much is known about the mechanisms underlying cellular iron retention under “normal” conditions, however, less is known about the effect of copper deficiency during inflammation.