Open Access

REVIEW

Ferroptosis molecular inducers: A future direction for malignant tumor chemotherapy

ZIQIAN WANG^1,2,#, YAQI LI^1,2,#, DONGYANG WANG^1,2, YINGQIANG SHEN^1,3,4,5,*

1 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Chengdu, 610041, China
2 West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
3 National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Chengdu, 610041, China
4 Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Oral Medicine of Carcinogenesis and Management, Chengdu, 610041, China
5 West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China

* Corresponding Author: Yingqiang Shen,
# These two authors contribute equally to this work

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Single Cell Technologies and Molecular Mechanisms of Diseases)

BIOCELL 2022, 46(7), 1599-1611. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2022.018530

Received 31 July 2021; Accepted 21 October 2021; Issue published 17 March 2022

Abstract

Iron-dependent ferroptosis is a form of cell death dependent on iron levels. Cells that undergo ferroptosis have glutathione (GSH) deficiency, reduced Glutathione peroxidase-4 (GPX4) activity and intracellular lipid peroxidation, Mitochondria, lysosomes and many signal pathways are involved in the regulation of ferroptosis. More importantly, many tumor cells resistant to other cell death methods exhibit sensitivity to ferroptosis. Moreover, over recent years, a number of ferroptosis-induced drugs have been recommended for the treatment of malignant tumors. Therefore, the study of ferroptosis is of great significance for future cancer treatments. In this review, we discussed the metabolic process of ferroptosis, the role of different organelles, the typical signaling pathways involved in ferroptosis, as well as natural and synthetic compounds that can induce ferroptosis, aiming to point out new conceptual avenues for utilizing ferroptosis in future cancer treatments.

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Keywords

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