Publications

Research outputs, reports, policy briefs and knowledge products from KIU scholars and partners.

2026 School of Natural and Applied Sciences IDOSR JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND ALLIED FIELDS

Integrative Perspectives on Oxidative Stress, Anaemia, and Neurotoxicity: A Cross-Talk Between Erythropoiesis and Neural Health

Ngugi Mwaura J.

Oxidative stress is a central pathological mechanism underlying diverse complications in metabolic and systemic disorders, including anaemia and neurotoxicity. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species generated in excess can impair erythropoiesis, shorten red blood cell lifespan, and compromise neural integrity, creating a bidirectional interplay between hematologic and nervous system health. Anaemia and oxidative stress are frequently coexistent in chronic diseases, with iron dysregulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and inflammation contributing to erythroid impairment. Simultaneously, neural tissue is highly susceptible to oxidative injury due to high metabolic demand, limited endogenous antioxidant defenses, and excitotoxic vulnerability. Emerging evidence highlights shared molecular pathways, including mitochondrial dysfunction, redox-sensitive transcription factors, inflammatory cytokines, and nitric oxide signaling, that link impaired erythropoiesis with neurodegeneration. Therapeutic strategies targeting oxidative stress, including endogenous and exogenous antioxidants, mitochondrial protectants, and iron-modulating interventions, show potential to restore erythroid and neuronal homeostasis. This review provides an integrative analysis of the mechanistic crosstalk between oxidative stress, anaemia, and neurotoxicity, highlighting potential avenues for translational therapeutics.