Metabolic Regulation of Ferroptosis in Cancer

Abstract

Ferroptosis is a unique cell death mechanism that is executed by the excessive accumulation of lipid peroxidation in cells. The relevance of ferroptosis in multiple human diseases such as neurodegeneration, organ damage, and cancer is becoming increasingly evident. As ferroptosis is deeply intertwined with metabolic pathways such as iron, cyst(e)ine, glutathione, and lipid metabolism, a better understanding of how ferroptosis is regulated by these pathways will enable the precise utilization or prevention of ferroptosis for therapeutic uses. In this review, we present an update of the mechanisms underlying diverse metabolic pathways that can regulate ferroptosis in cancer.

Keywords

• ferroptosis
• iron metabolism
• cyst(e)ine metabolism
• SLC7A11
• glutathione metabolism
• GPX4