Ferroptosis in plants: Regulatory mechanisms and potential applications from plant physiology to human diseases.
Wang F, Dang R, Yang Y, Wang L, Yang S, Wang Y.
Plant Signaling
Compounds in the fruits, herbs, and vegetables you grow or buy at the market are being studied as potential weapons against cancer and Alzheimer's — because plants evolved the same cellular kill-switch that scientists are now trying to target in human disease.
Cells can choose to die in different ways, and one method — triggered by iron causing a chain reaction that burns through the cell's outer membrane — turns out to happen in plants too, not just animals. Plants appear to use this process strategically: to respond to drought, heat, or invading pathogens. On top of that, many natural chemicals that plants produce (think compounds in berries, herbs, and roots) can dial this death process up or down, which researchers are now testing as treatments for tumors and brain diseases.
Key Findings
Iron-dependent cell death (ferroptosis) is active in plants and plays a pivotal role in their responses to both biological threats (pathogens) and environmental stresses (drought, heat), not just in animals.
Three interconnected mechanisms drive plant ferroptosis: disrupted iron metabolism, oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and breakdown of antioxidant defense systems.
Plant-derived bioactive compounds can modulate ferroptosis pathways and show demonstrated potential against ferroptosis-linked human diseases including cancer, autoimmune disorders, and neurodegenerative conditions.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists have discovered that plants use the same iron-triggered self-destruction process — called ferroptosis — that animals do, and that compounds plants naturally produce to survive stress can manipulate this process in human cancer and nerve cells, pointing toward new medicines and crop protection strategies.
Abstract Preview
Ferroptosis is a novel form of regulated cell death characterized by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, which is mediated by multi-pathway cascades involving dysregulated iron metabolism, polyunsat...
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