In this episode of The Alpha Human Podcast, Lawrence delves into drugs that can induce Ferroptosis, a form of cell death characterized by the accumulation of lipid peroxides and iron-dependent reactive oxygen species, as this might be an Achilles' heel for cancers that exhibit iron overload.
Although there are currently no approved drugs designed for this purpose, there are a number of existing pharmaceuticals that have demonstrated the ability to trigger ferroptosis in cancer cells.
For instance, Lawrence highlights Auranofin, a rheumatoid arthritis drug, and Metformin, a widely prescribed drug for diabetes that have both demonstrated the ability to induce ferroptotic death in cancer cells.
Additionally, Lawrence discusses the effectiveness of Artesunate, a derivative of artemisinin commonly prescribed as an anti-malarial drug, and Sulfasalazine, primarily used for treating inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis, as both have shown the capability to trigger ferroptosis as well.
Targeting glutamine metabolism as a therapeutic strategy for cancer
nature.com/articles/s12276-023-00971-9
Auranofin mitigates systemic iron overload and induces ferroptosis via distinct mechanisms | Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy
nature.com/articles/s41392-020-00253-0
Mechanisms of metformin inhibiting cancer invasion and migration:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7540116/
Metformin may induce ferroptosis by inhibiting autophagy via lncRNA H19 in breast cancer
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8727937/
Iron plays a role in sulfasalazine-induced ferroptosis with autophagic flux blockage in K7M2 osteosarcoma cells
academic.oup.com/metallomics/article-abstract/14/5/mfac027/6571254
Sulfasalazine impacts on ferroptotic cell death and alleviates the tumor microenvironment and glioma-induced brain edema
oncotarget.com/article/8651/text/#F2
Sulfasalazine‑induced ferroptosis in breast cancer cells is reduced by the inhibitory effect of estrogen receptor on the transferrin receptor
spandidos-publications.com/or/42/2/826
Artesunate synergizes with sorafenib to induce ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8026986/#CR25
Identification of Artesunate as a specific activator of ferroptosis in pancreatic cancer cells
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4468338/
Artesunate induces ferroptosis via modulation of p38 and ERK signaling pathway in glioblastoma cells
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S134786132200007X
Artesunate Inhibits the Growth Behavior of Docetaxel-Resistant Prostate Cancer Cells
frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.789284/full
Artesunate Inhibits Growth of Sunitinib-Resistant Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells through Cell Cycle Arrest and Induction of Ferroptosis
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7692972/
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