Frontiers in Pharmacology (May 2022)

Honokiol Induces Ferroptosis by Upregulating HMOX1 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells

  • Xingrong Lai,
  • Xingrong Lai,
  • Yanhua Sun,
  • Xuedi Zhang,
  • Xuedi Zhang,
  • Dan Wang,
  • Jialing Wang,
  • Jialing Wang,
  • Haihua Wang,
  • Haihua Wang,
  • Yao Zhao,
  • Yao Zhao,
  • Xinling Liu,
  • Xinling Liu,
  • Xin Xu,
  • Xin Xu,
  • Haoran Song,
  • Wenjia Ping,
  • Yanli Sun,
  • Yanli Sun,
  • Zhenbo Hu,
  • Zhenbo Hu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.897791
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the malignant hematological cancers with high mortality. Finding a more effective and readily available treatment is of the utmost importance. Here, we aimed to identify the anti-leukemia effect of a natural small molecule compound honokiol on a panel of AML cell lines, including THP-1, U-937, and SKM-1, and explored honokiol’s potential biological pathways and mechanisms. The results showed that honokiol decreased the viability of the targeted AML cells, induced their cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase, and inhibited their colony-formation capacity. Honokiol also triggers a noncanonical ferroptosis pathway in THP-1 and U-937 cells by upregulating the level of intracellular lipid peroxide and HMOX1 significantly. Subsequent studies verified that HMOX1 was a critical target in honokiol-induced ferroptosis. These results reveal that honokiol is an effective anti-leukemia agent in AML cell lines and may be a potential ferroptosis activator in AML.

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