Cysteine Prevents the Reduction in Keratin Synthesis Induced by Iron Deficiency in Human Keratinocytes

    July 2015 in “ Journal of Cellular Biochemistry ”
    Maria Concetta Miniaci, Carlo Irace, Antonella Capuozzo, Marialuisa Piccolo, Antonio Pascale, Annapina Russo, Pellegrino Lippiello, Fabio Lepre, Giulia Russo, Rita Santamaria
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    TLDR Cysteine helps maintain keratin production in skin cells even when iron is low.
    The study conducted on December 20, 2015, showed that cysteine supplementation can up-regulate keratin expression in human keratinocytes, particularly in the presence of iron deficiency. The research used the HaCaT keratinocyte cell line and found that 10 µM cysteine for 48 hours increased keratin synthesis, as confirmed by densitometric analysis. Cysteine also prevented the reduction in keratin levels caused by iron deficiency, induced by an iron chelator. The study further revealed that cysteine led to an increase in iron-related proteins such as ferritin and transferrin receptor 1, without altering the labile iron pool, suggesting that cysteine can restore cellular metal homeostasis in iron-depleted cells. The experiments were repeated four times, and the results indicated that cysteine and iron are important for maintaining healthy epithelia by promoting keratin expression.
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