EXPRESS: A new therapeutic perspective: erastin inhibits tumor progression by driving ferroptosis in myelodysplastic syndromes

Ferroptosis is a recently identified and evolutionarily conserved form of programmed cell death. This process is initiated by an imbalance in iron metabolism, leading to an overload of ferrous ions. These ions promote lipid peroxidation in the cell membrane through the Fenton reaction. As the cell’s antioxidant defenses become overwhelmed, a fatal buildup of reactive oxygen species (ROS) occurs, resulting in the rupture of the plasma membrane. Ferroptosis is implicated in conditions such as ischemia-reperfusion injuries and a range of cancers. In our research, we explored ferroptosis in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) by measuring iron levels, transferrin receptor expression, and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) mRNA. Our findings revealed that MDS patients had significantly higher Fe 2+ levels in CD33 + cells and increased transferrin receptor mRNA compared to healthy individuals. GPX4 expression was also higher in MDS but not statistically significant. To investigate potential treatments for myeloid hematological diseases through ferroptosis induction, we treated the myelodysplastic syndrome cell line (SKM-1) and two myeloid leukemia cell lines (KG-1 and K562) with erastin, an iron transfer inducer. We observed that erastin treatment led to glutathione depletion, reduced GPX4 activity, and increased ROS, culminating in cell death by ferroptosis. Furthermore, combining erastin with azacitidine demonstrated a synergistic effect on MDS and leukemia cell lines, suggesting a promising approach for treating these hematological conditions with this drug combination. Our experiments confirm erastin’s ability to induce ferroptosis in MDS and highlight its potential synergistic use with azacitidine for treatment.