The iron pro-chelator BHAPI attenuates glutamate-induced oxidative stress via Wnt-β/catenin pathway in HT22 cells

The mechanism of ferroptosis regulating oxidative stress in ischemic stroke and the regulation mechanism of natural pharmacological active components

Cerebrovascular diseases, such as ischemic stroke, pose serious medical challenges worldwide due to their high morbidity and mortality and limitations in clinical treatment strategies. Studies have shown that reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated inflammation, excitotoxicity, and programmed cell death of each neurovascular unit during post-stroke hypoxia and reperfusion play an important role in the pathological cascade. Ferroptosis, a programmed cell death characterized by iron-regulated accumulation of lipid peroxidation, is caused by abnormal metabolism of lipids, glutathione (GSH), and iron, and can accelerate acute central nervous system injury. Recent studies have gradually uncovered the pathological process of ferroptosis in the neurovascular unit of acute stroke. Some drugs such as iron chelators, ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) and liproxstatin-1 (Lip-1) can protect nerves after neurovascular unit injury in acute stroke by inhibiting ferroptosis. In addition, combined with our previous studies on ferroptosis mediated by natural compounds in ischemic stroke, this review summarized the progress in the regulation mechanism of natural chemical components and herbal chemical components on ferroptosis in recent years, in order to provide reference information for future research on ferroptosis and lead compounds for the development of ferroptosis inhibitors.

Itraconazole attenuates the stemness of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via triggering ferroptosis

Radiotherapy is a common therapy method for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treatment; however, radioresistance greatly limits the clinical efficiency and prognosis of NPC patients. Therefore, it is extremely urgent to reveal the underlying mechanism contributing to radioresistance and find possible diagnostic biomarkers. Here, we collected the spheroids formed by NPC cells, which had been confirmed to hold the stem cell-like traits, and found that these spheroids exhibited a certain degree of radioresistance. Additionally, NPC spheroids displayed a certain degree of ferroptosis resistance, as evident by the decrease of iron concentration in lysosomes and lipid peroxides oxygen, and increase of glutathione (GSH) level. Furthermore, we revealed that itraconazole triggered the ferroptosis of NPC spheroids, which is characterized as the increase of iron concentration and lipid peroxides oxygen, and decrease of GSH level, and decreased the cell viability of NPC spheroids. Notably, itraconazole partially reversed the radioresistance of NPC spheroids. Mechanistically, we found that itraconazole can sequester iron in lysosome and thus trigger ferroptosis; this is essential for itraconazole-mediated attenuation on NPC spheroid stemness. Therefore, this study provides evidences showing that itraconazole might be used for killing NPC stem cells and thus attenuate radioresistance.

Reduction of Mitophagy-Related Oxidative Stress and Preservation of Mitochondria Function Using Melatonin Therapy in an HT22 Hippocampal Neuronal Cell Model of Glutamate-Induced Excitotoxicity

Recent evidence indicates that autophagy-mediated mitochondrial homeostasis is crucial for oxidative stress-related brain damage and repair. The highest concentration of melatonin is in the mitochondria of cells, and melatonin exhibits well-known antioxidant properties. We investigated the impact and mechanism involved in mitochondrial function and the mitochondrial oxidative stress/autophagy regulator parameters of glutamate cytotoxicity in mouse HT22 hippocampal neurons. We tested the hypothesis that melatonin confers neuroprotective effects via protecting against mitochondrial impairment and mitophagy. Cells were divided into four groups: the control group, melatonin alone group, glutamate injury group, and melatonin pretreatment group. We found that glutamate induced significant changes in mitochondrial function/oxidative stress-related parameters. Leptin administration preserved mitochondrial function, and this effect was associated with increased superoxide dismutase, glutathione (GSH), and mitochondrial membrane potential and decreased GSSG (oxidized glutathione) and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. Melatonin significantly reduced the fluorescence intensity of mitophagy via the Beclin-1/Bcl-2 pathway, which involves Beclin-1 and Bcl-2 proteins. The mitophagy inhibitor CsA corrected these glutamate-induce changes, as measured by the fluorescence intensity of Mitophagy-Tracker Red CMXROS, mitochondrial ROS, and mitochondrial membrane potential changes. These findings indicate that melatonin exerts neuroprotective effects against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity by reducing mitophagy-related oxidative stress and maintaining mitochondrial function.