Deferoxamine induces endoplasmic reticulum stress in PC12 cells

Deferoxamine (DFA, N'-[5-(acetyl-hydroxy-amino)-pentyl]-N-[5-[3-(5-aminopentyl-hydroxy-carbamoyl) propanoylamino]pentyl]-N-hydroxy-butane diamide) is a chelating agent used to remove excess iron from the body and to reduce organ and tissue damage. DFA enhances both iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1) expression and its endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane-binding activity, as occurs in hypoxia, an ER stress, in cultured cells. Here, we show that DFA promotes ER stress via an ER signal pathway.