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World J Transl Med. Nov 28, 2026; 12(4): 127250
Published online Nov 28, 2026. doi: 10.5528/wjtm.127250
Published online Nov 28, 2026. doi: 10.5528/wjtm.127250
Iron, inflammation, and fibroblast growth factor 23: Integrating molecular crosstalk, cardiovascular biology, and therapeutic perspectives
Javier Donate-Correa, Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 38010, Spain
Javier Donate-Correa, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Canarias, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 38320, Spain
Javier Donate-Correa, Instituto de Tecnologías Biomédicas, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna 38200, Spain
Javier Donate-Correa, Grupo Español Para el Estudio de la Nefropatía Diabética, Santander 39000, Spain
Javier Donate-Correa, RICORS2040 (RD24/004/0022), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid 28000, Spain
Author contributions: Donate-Correa J conceived and designed the review, performed the literature search, analyzed and interpreted the evidence, drafted the manuscript, prepared the tables and the figure, critically revised the manuscript, and approved the final version.
AI contribution statement: Portions of this manuscript were edited using AI tools solely for language refinement. The authors carefully reviewed and verified all AI-assisted outputs and take full responsibility for the scientific content of the manuscript.
Supported by Fundación Canaria Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Canarias, No. PIFIISC25/02 and No. PIFIISC24/12; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, No. PI21/00337 and No. PI24/02183; and Fundación MAPFRE Canarias, No. OA25/121.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Javier Donate-Correa, PhD, Principal Investigator, Unidad de In
Received: August 25, 2026
Revised: September 17, 2026
Accepted: October 22, 2026
Published online: November 28, 2026
Processing time: 71 Days and 10.1 Hours
Revised: September 17, 2026
Accepted: October 22, 2026
Published online: November 28, 2026
Processing time: 71 Days and 10.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Distinguishing fibroblast growth factor 23 production from proteolytic processing explains discordant intact and C-terminal assay results and formulation-specific effects of intravenous iron on phosphate. Experimental cardiac, inflammatory, and erythroid mechanisms require validation in humans. Therapeutic studies should test causality while preserving phosphate homeostasis, because global hormone neutralization caused harm in experimental chronic kidney disease.