[Iron metabolism and neonatal hypoxic ischemic brain damage].

Iron is an essential element for nervous system development, and maintaining a normal iron level in nervous system is controlled by multiple factors. Recent studies reported that iron dysregulation and the following iron metabolic pathways played an important role in hypoxic ischemic brain damage (HIBD) in neonates. Circulatory iron level is altered after hypoxia-ischemia exposure, which may cause abnormal iron deposition in the nervous system followed by neuronal injury. Finding the causing factors for abnormal iron metabolism after hypoxia-ischemia exposure, as well as understanding the mechanisms how iron metabolism contributes to HIBD, will shed lights on HIBD prevention and treatment. In this mini-review, we summarized changes in iron metabolism after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia exposure, its possible regulatory factors and how iron abnormalities contribute to HIBD.