Japanese Study Reveals the Role of Iron Supplements in Treating Hereditary Muscle Damage

A study conducted by Kumamoto University in Japan has revealed that iron supplements help reduce muscle damage and improve muscle function in patients suffering from facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).

This rare disease, which causes progressive weakness of the facial and shoulder muscles and may extend to the limbs, results from abnormal expression of the toxic transcription factor DUX4, leading to oxidative stress, acute inflammation, and degeneration of muscle tissue.

Researchers explained, via Medical Express, that DUX4 disrupts iron balance within cells, causing iron accumulation and triggering an iron-mediated programmed cell death pathway.

Experiments showed that the use of iron supplements, or the FDA-approved drug ferric carboxymaltose, significantly reduced harmful iron accumulation and improved muscle structure, grip strength, and running performance, while also suppressing inflammatory pathways.

The study also identified the drug Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) as an effective inhibitor of this pathway, opening promising therapeutic prospects for this genetic disease.