Mechanisms and applications of ferroptosis-associated regulators in cancer therapy and drug resistance

Abstract

Iron is an essential element for almost all living things. Both iron excess and iron deficiency can damage the body’s health, but the body has developed complex mechanisms to regulate iron balance. The imbalance of iron homeostasis and lipid peroxidation are important features of ferroptosis. In this review, we summarize the latest regulatory mechanisms of ferroptosis, the roles of relevant regulators that target ferroptosis for cancer therapy, and their relationship to drug resistance. In conclusion, targeting ferroptosis is an important strategy for cancer therapy.

Keywords:

• Ferroptosis
• iron metabolism
• lipid peroxidation
• reactive oxygen specie
• targeted therapy
• drug resistance

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Science and Technology Plan Project of Gansu Province (20JR5RA323), Health Industry Scientific Research Program of Gansu Province (GSWSKY2020-78), Lanzhou Science and Technology Development Guiding Plan Project (2019-ZD-54).