Ferroptosis or Iron Chelation for the Treatment of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Ferroportin (FPN) depletes the iron needed for cell cycle progression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), according to a study published in Frontiers in Oncology.

Researchers aimed to understand the function of iron in advanced, metastatic HNSCC cell lines by modulating FPN levels in metastatic HNSCC lines HN12 and JHU-022, as well as the nontransformed normal oral keratinocyte (NOK) cell line.

HNSCC cells showed higher iron dependence when compared with the nontransformed NOK cell line and are susceptible to ferroptosis. Furthermore, FPN overexpression disrupts iron metabolism, inhibits growth and proliferation, inhibits cell cycle progression, induces senescence, and inhibits tumor growth in HNSCC cells.

“This is the first study to investigate the effect of FPN expression on oral keratinocytes and HNSCC,” wrote the study authors. “We show that FPN mediated iron depletion has a significant effect on growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest, and senescence,” they added.

Reference
Belvin BR, Lewis JP. Ferroportin depletes iron needed for cell cycle progression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Front Oncol. 2023;12:1025434. doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.1025434