Exploring the Traditional Chinese Medicine Connotation of Iron Overload Mechanism in Non-Traumatic Osteonecrosis of Femoral Head from the Perspective of Stasis- Toxin Theory
Abstract: Non-traumatic osteonecrosis of femoral head (NONFH) remains a refractory orthopedic disease with incompletely elucidated pathogenesis. Traditional Chinese medicine theory posits that stasis-toxin constitutes the pathological basis of NONFH,where blood stasis obstruction and endogenous toxin accumulation interact,leading to toxin blended with stasis,bone erosion and marrow depletion as the primary etiology and pathogenesis. Modern medical research has revealed that iron overload induces osteocyte death and bone structure destruction through pathways including oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and vascular endothelial damage. Under iron overload conditions, excessive free iron catalyzes reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation,accelerating NONFH progression-a mechanism aligning with the "stasis-toxin" pathogenesis pattern. By triggering imbalance in the bone microenvironment and exacerbating ischemic and stasis conditions,it ultimately forms a pathological cycle of stasis blended with toxin. This paper integrates stasis-toxin theory with iron overload mechanisms to explore the role of "stasis-toxin" theory in NONFH iron overload pathogenesis, proposing that NONFH development may be closely related to the "iron overload-stasistoxin- NONFH" mechanism, potentially providing new perspectives for theoretical research and clinical prevention of NONFH.