Apoptosis in Heart Failure Linked to Iron Release Source: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images February 4, 2021 Share A process that releases iron in response to stress may contribute to heart failure, and blocking this process could be a way of protecting the heart, suggests a study (“Iron derived from autophagy-mediated ferritin degradation induces cardiomyocyte death and heart failure in mice”) published in eLife. People with heart failure often have an iron deficiency, leading some scientists to suspect that problems with iron processing in the body may play a role in this condition. The study explains one way that iron processing may contribute to heart failure and suggests potential treatment approaches to protect the heart.