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The function and mechanism of ferroptosis in cancer

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Abstract

Ferroptosis is a newly defined form of regulated cell death (RCD) characterized by iron overload, lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and lipid peroxidation, which is different from necrosis, apoptosis, autophagy and other forms of RCD in morphology, biochemistry, function and gene expression. Increasing evidence has shown that ferroptosis is intimately associated with cancer initiation, progression, and suppression. In this review, we summarize the primary mechanisms and signal pathways relevant to ferroptosis and then discuss the potential roles of ferroptosis in cancer, including those related to p53, noncoding RNA (ncRNA), and the tumor microenvironment (TME), to demonstrate the associations between ferroptosis and cancer. Moreover, we list some ferroptosis-based cancer therapies, such as clinical drugs, nanomaterials, exosomes and gene technology, based on previous studies. Finally, we propose some development avenues, challenges, and opportunities for further research on ferroptosis.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 81672675, 81872211), the 111 Project of MOE China (Grant No. B14038) and the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (2019-I2M-5-004).

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Oral Carcinogenesis and Management, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Wang, Zihao Wei, Keran Pan, Jing Li & Qianming Chen

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YW performed the literature search, YW, JL, ZW, and KP wrote the manuscript and designed the figures; JL and QC provided guidance and revised this manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jing Li.

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Wang, Y., Wei, Z., Pan, K. et al. The function and mechanism of ferroptosis in cancer. Apoptosis 25, 786–798 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10495-020-01638-w

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