Molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis and its antitumor applications in natural products

Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death, results in lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the cell membrane, which is catalyzed by iron ions and accumulated to lethal levels. It is mechanistically distinct from other forms of cell death, such as apoptosis, pyroptosis, and necroptosis, so it may address the problem of cancer resistance to apoptosis and provide new therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment, which has been intensively studied over the past few years. Notably, considerable advances have been made in the antitumor research of natural products due to their multitargets and few side effects. According to research, natural products can also induce ferroptosis in cancer therapies. In this review we summarize the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis, introduce the key regulatory genes of ferroptosis, and discuss the progress of natural product research in the field of ferroptosis to provide theoretical guidance for research on natural product-induced ferroptosis in tumors.