Models for human porphyrias: Have animals in the wild been overlooked?: Some birds and mammals accumulate significant amounts of porphyrins in the body without showing the injurious symptoms observed in human porphyrias.
Ana Carolina de Oliveira NevesIsmael GalvánPublished in: BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology (2020)
Humans accumulate porphyrins in the body mostly during the course of porphyrias, diseases caused by defects in the enzymes of the heme biosynthesis pathway and that produce acute attacks, skin lesions and liver cancer. In contrast, some wild mammals and birds are adapted to accumulate porphyrins without injurious consequences. Here we propose viewing such physiological adaptations as potential solutions to human porphyrias, and suggest certain wild animals as models. Given the enzymatic activity and/or the patterns of porphyrin excretion and accumulation, the fox squirrel, the great bustard and the Eurasian eagle owl may constitute overlooked models for different porphyrias. The Harderian gland of rodents, where large amounts of porphyrins are synthesized, presents an underexplored potential for understanding the carcinogenic/toxic effect of porphyrin accumulation. Investigating how these animals avoid porphyrin pathogenicity may complement the use of laboratory models for porphyrias and provide new insights into the treatment of these disorders.
Keyphrases
- endothelial cells
- photodynamic therapy
- induced pluripotent stem cells
- pluripotent stem cells
- metal organic framework
- magnetic resonance imaging
- liver failure
- escherichia coli
- genetic diversity
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- sleep quality
- hepatitis b virus
- hydrogen peroxide
- cystic fibrosis
- climate change
- nitric oxide
- human health
- physical activity
- drug induced
- respiratory failure