Baicalin induces ferroptosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma by suppressing the activity of FTH1

Abstract Background This study investigated the role of the ferroptosis‐related gene FTH1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and evaluated the therapeutic potential of baicalin in OSCC cell treatment. Methods A prognostic model was established by bioinformatic analysis, consisting of 12 ferroptosis related genes (FRGs), and FTH1 was selected as the most significantly up‐regulated FRGs. The clinical correlation of FTH1 in OSCC samples was evaluated by both immunohistochemical and bioinformatic characterizations. The effects of FTH1 on migration, invasion, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and proliferation were determined by wound healing assays, transwell assays, western blotting and 5′‐ethynl 2′‐deoxyuridine proliferation assays, respectively. The effects of FTH1 on ferroptosis were tested via ferroptosis markers and Mito Tracker staining. In addition, the therapeutic effects of baicalin on OSCC cells were confirmed using EMT, migration, invasion, proliferation and ferroptosis assays. Results The 12 FRGs were predictive of the prognosis for OSCC patients, and FTH1 expression was identified as significantly up‐regulated in OSCC samples, which was highly associated with survival, immune cell infiltration and drug sensitivity. Moreover, knocking down FTH1 inhibited cell proliferation, EMT and invasive phenotypes, but induced ferroptosis in OSCC cells (Cal27 and SCC25). Furthermore, baicalin directly suppressed expression of FTH1 in OSCC cells, and effectively promoted ferroptosis and inhibited the proliferation as well as EMT by directly targeting FTH1. Conclusions This study has demonstrated that FTH1 is a therapeutic target for OSCC treatment, and has provided evidence that baicalin offers a promising alternative for OSCC treatment.