The strategy change of targeting iron homeostasis for leukemia therapy: from iron chelation to iron overload as a therapeutic strategy to induce ferroptosis / 白血病·淋巴瘤

ABSTRACT

Iron, an indispensable element for life, is involved in all kinds of vital physiological activities. Due to its potential toxicity, the body has a strict regulation mechanism of iron metabolism to maintain the "iron homeostasis". Dysregulation of iron metabolism and subsequent accumulation of excess iron are closely associated with the development and progression of leukemia. Specifically, due to the pro-oxidative nature of iron and its damaging effects on DNA, excess iron promotes the progression of leukemia; on the other hand, leukemia cells need to obtain more iron than normal cells to maintain rapid growth and proliferation, which is known as "iron addiction". Iron chelators can remove iron in leukemia cells and induce differentiation and apoptosis of leukemia cells. However, "iron addiction" makes leukemia cells more susceptible to iron overload, and is more sensitive to a new form of iron-catalyzed cell death which was named ferroptosis. According to the different needs of leukemia cells and normal cells for iron, the method of selectively killing leukemia cells through iron overload may become a new strategy for leukemia treatment. This paper reviews the strategy of targeting iron homeostasis for leukemia therapy.