Joanna Giemza-Stokłosa, Md. Asiful Islam and Przemysław J. Kotyla* Pages 2909 - 2918 ( 10 )
Background: Ferritin is a molecule that plays many roles being the storage for iron, signalling molecule, and modulator of the immune response.
Methods: Different electronic databases were searched in a non-systematic way to find out the literature of interest.
Results: The level of ferritin rises in many inflammatory conditions including autoimmune disorders. However, in four inflammatory diseases (i.e., adult-onset Still’s diseases, macrophage activation syndrome, catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome, and sepsis), high levels of ferritin are observed suggesting it as a remarkable biomarker and pathological involvement in these diseases. Acting as an acute phase reactant, ferritin is also involved in the cytokine-associated modulator of the immune response as well as a regulator of cytokine synthesis and release which are responsible for the inflammatory storm.
Conclusion: This review article presents updated information on the role of ferritin in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases with an emphasis on hyperferritinaemic syndrome.
Hyperferritinaemia, hyperferritinaemic syndrome, autoimmunity, autoimmune disease, catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome, macrophage activation syndrome, sepsis, adult-onset Still's disease.
Department of Neurology, Regional Hospital in Oswiecim, 32-600 Oswiecim, Department of Haematology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Department of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-635 Katowice