Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2026, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (6): 1486-1498.doi: 10.12307/2026.585

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Potential mechanisms by which exercise regulates iron metabolism in immune inflammatory diseases

Sun Yaotian1, Xu Kai1, Wang Peiyun2   

  1. 1College of Education and Sports, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023, Hubei Province, China; 2Department of Anorectal Surgery, Jingzhou Central Hospital, Jingzhou 434000, Hubei Province, China
  • Received:2024-12-25 Accepted:2025-03-07 Online:2026-02-28 Published:2025-07-17
  • Contact: Wang Peiyun, MS, Attending physician, Department of Anorectal Surgery, Jingzhou Central Hospital, Jingzhou 434000, Hubei Province, China
  • About author:Sun Yaotian, MS, College of Education and Sports, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023, Hubei Province, China Xu Kai, MS, College of Education and Sports, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023, Hubei Province, China Sun Yaotian and Xu Kai contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Abnormal iron metabolism is closely related to immune inflammatory diseases. Exercise intervention is a potentially effective treatment that can reduce inflammation by regulating iron metabolism and improving immune response. However, how exercise regulates immune system function through iron metabolism still needs to be further explored.
OBJECTIVE: To review and summarize the research progress of iron metabolism in immune inflammatory diseases, analyze the regulatory effect of exercise intervention on iron metabolism and the potential mechanism by which exercise regulates immune inflammatory diseases, thereby providing new ideas for the treatment of immune inflammatory diseases in the future.
METHODS: The data sources included CNKI and PubMed databases. The retrieval time was from January 2010 to June 2024. The keywords were “iron metabolism, iron homeostasis, hepcidin, immune inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), exercise” in Chinese and English, respectively. Finally, 101 articles were included for review. 
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Abnormal iron metabolism is closely related to the occurrence and development of a variety of immune inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and inflammatory bowel disease. Iron overload or iron deficiency can lead to dysfunction of the immune system, and thereby triggers or aggravates the inflammatory response. (2) Exercise intervention is an important means to regulate iron metabolism. Short-term aerobic exercise or strenuous exercise may lead to short-term iron metabolism disorders. Long-term aerobic exercise can promote the recovery of iron homeostasis. Regular aerobic exercise can reduce serum iron concentration, reduce iron storage in liver and muscle, and improve iron distribution in the body. Long-term exercise can help restore the balance of iron metabolism, thereby reducing the inflammatory response caused by iron metabolism disorders. Exercise types such as strength training and flexibility training also have a significant effect on iron metabolism. The effect of exercise on immune diseases has individual differences. Exercise intensity, duration, frequency and other factors may have different effects on iron metabolism. (3) In general, exercise intervention plays a role in the prevention and treatment of immune inflammatory diseases. However, there are still some limitations in the mechanism elucidation, long-term effects and individual differences in the existing studies. In the future, it is necessary to further explore the specific regulatory mechanism of exercise on iron metabolism and the individualized therapeutic effects of different types of exercise.

Key words: exercise intervention, immune inflammatory diseases, iron metabolism, iron homeostasis, immune response

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