Pathologically high intraocular pressure disturbs normal iron homeostasis and leads to retinal ganglion cell ferroptosis in glaucoma

Glaucoma can result in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death and permanently damaged vision. Pathologically high intraocular pressure (ph-IOP) is the leading cause of damaged vision during glaucoma; however, controlling ph-IOP alone does not entirely prevent the loss of glaucomatous RGCs, and the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we reported an increase in ferric iron in patients with acute primary angle-closure glaucoma (the most typical glaucoma with ph-IOP damage) compared with the average population by analyzing free iron levels in peripheral serum. Thus, iron metabolism might be involved in regulating the injury of RGCs under ph-IOP. In vitro and in vivo studies confirmed that ph-IOP led to abnormal accumulation of ferrous iron in cells and retinas at 1–8 h post-injury and elevation of ferric iron in serum at 8 h post-injury. Nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4)-mediated degradation of ferritin heavy polypeptide 1(FTH1) is essential to disrupt iron metabolism in the retina after ph-IOP injury. Furthermore, knockdown of Ncoa4 in vivo inhibited FTH1 degradation and reduced the retinal ferrous iron level. Elevated ferrous iron induced by ph-IOP led to a marked accumulation of pro-ferroptotic factors (lipid peroxidation and acyl CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4) and a depletion of anti-ferroptotic factors (glutathione, glutathione peroxidase 4, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate). These biochemical changes resulted in RGC ferroptosis. Deferiprone can pass through the blood-retinal barrier after oral administration and chelated abnormally elevated ferrous iron in the retina after ph-IOP injury, thus inhibiting RGC ferroptosis and protecting visual function. In conclusion, this study revealed the role of NCOA4-FTH1-mediated disturbance of iron metabolism and ferroptosis in RGCs during glaucoma. We demonstrate the protective effect of Deferiprone on RGCs via inhibition of ferroptosis, providing a research direction to understand and treat glaucoma via the iron homeostasis and ferroptosis pathways.