Iron metabolism: an emerging therapeutic target underlying the anti-cancer effect of quercetin

Abstract

Iron, an essential micronutrient for all kinds of cells, is essential for the balance of body internal environment. Notably, cancer cells exhibit a strong dependence on iron and require a large amount of iron for proliferation. A growing number of studies suggested that iron metabolism imbalance and subsequent excess iron accumulation are closely related to the occurrence and progression of cancer. Precisely, excess iron promotes the development of cancer due to the pro-oxidative nature of iron and its damaging effects on DNA. Simultaneously, tumor cells acquire large amounts of iron to maintain rapid growth and proliferation. Therefore, targeting iron metabolism may provide a new way for the treatment of cancer. Quercetin, a natural flavonoid, has long been regarded as potential drug for cancer treatments owing to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-tumor effects. It is proven that quercetin possesses a high iron-chelating capacity, depriving cancer cells of iron or altering iron metabolism. Herein, we conduct a review on the mechanisms of iron imbalance in tumors and the role of quercetin in iron chelation, which will provide insight into the potential for quercetin as an anti-cancer drug.

Keywords:

• Iron metabolism
• cancer
• quercetin
• Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Prof. Chak-Tong Au and Prof. Zhigang Mei for helpful suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [21571060], the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province [2019JJ40222], and the Integration of Chinese and Western medicine, cultivation of first-class domestic discipline of Hunan colleges and universities.