Cited by 2,381Ferroptosis and cancer prognosisCell death mechanisms and regulationIron Metabolism and Disorders

The role of iron and reactive oxygen species in cell death

Dixon, Scott J, Stockwell, Brent R·2014·Nature Chemical Biology

Abstract

The transition metal iron is essential for life, yet potentially toxic iron-catalyzed reactive oxygen species (ROS) are unavoidable in an oxygen-rich environment. Iron and ROS are increasingly recognized as important initiators and mediators of cell death in a variety of organisms and pathological situations. Here, we review recent discoveries regarding the mechanism by which iron and ROS participate in cell death. We describe the different roles of iron in triggering cell death, targets of iron-dependent ROS that mediate cell death and a new form of iron-dependent cell death termed ferroptosis. Recent advances in understanding the role of iron and ROS in cell death offer unexpected surprises and suggest new therapeutic avenues to treat cancer, organ damage and degenerative disease.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/nchembio.1416

Cites

15 of 15 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Ferroptotic RCD has been linked to toxic lipid peroxide accrual.

    “ferroptotic RCD has been linked to toxic lipid peroxide accrual [537, 538]”
  • The toxicity of high extracellular glutamate may depend at least in part on activation of ferroptosis through cysteine imbalance.

    “the toxicity of high extracellular glutamate may depend (at least in part) on the activation of ferroptosis through cysteine imbalance [534, 538, 552].”
  • The critical dependency of ferroptosis on iron can be ascribed to the ability of iron to promote non-enzymatic lipid oxidation via lysosomal Fenton reactions.

    “Alternatively, the critical dependency of ferroptosis on iron can also be ascribed to the ability of this heavy metal to promote non-enzymatic lipid oxidation via lysosomal Fenton reactions [538, 572, 576, 577].”
  • Glutamate-induced neurotoxicity is oxidative and iron-dependent, suggesting ferroptosis is involved.

    “Glutamate-induced neurotoxicity is an oxidative, iron-dependent process, suggesting that ferroptosis is involved [22, 23].”

    From Ferroptosis: Death by Lipid Peroxidation (2016) · cites this paper as [23]

  • Iron is a major source of ROS production and is an important initiator and mediator of cell death through the regulation of ROS.

    “As mentioned earlier in Section 1, 2, iron is one of the major sources of ROS production, and is increasingly recognized as an important initiator and mediator of cell death in a variety of organisms and pathological situations through the regulation of ROS.36”

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Authors
Dixon, S. J., & Stockwell, B. R.
Affiliations
  • Columbia University (US)
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
Corresponding author
  • Dixon, Scott J
  • Stockwell, Brent R
Venue
Nature Chemical Biology
Published
2013-12-17
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
9-17
ISSN
  • 1552-4450 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-4469
OpenAlex
W2011538447
Cited by
2,381
References
15
Citations by year
2026: 162 · 2025: 264 · 2024: 293 · 2023: 292 · 2022: 305 · 2021: 246 · 2020: 198 · 2019: 184 · 2018: 112 · 2017: 119 · 2016: 88 · 2015: 73 · 2014: 42
FWCI
10.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature Chemical Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • National Institutes of Health (1k99ca166517-01)
  • National Cancer Institute (R01CA097061, R01CA161061, 1K99CA166517-01, R00CA166517)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM085081)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Ferroptosis and cancer prognosis
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Cell death mechanisms and regulation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Iron Metabolism and Disorders
Keywords
iron, reactive oxygen species, cell death, ferroptosis, iron-dependent cell death, iron toxicity, cancer therapy, degenerative diseases, organ damage
MeSH terms
Humans, Iron, Signal Transduction, Cell Death, Reactive Oxygen Species

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