A Dual Role of Heme Oxygenase-1 in Cancer Cells

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Ling-Chu Chang¹  Shih-Kai Chiang²  Shuen-Ei Chen² 

[1] Chinese Medicinal Research and Development Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan;Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan;

关键词: ferroptosis;    heme oxygenase-1;    iron;    reactive oxygen species;    glutathione;    chemotherapy;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms20010039

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 is known to metabolize heme into biliverdin/bilirubin, carbon monoxide, and ferrous iron, and it has been suggested to demonstrate cytoprotective effects against various stress-related conditions. HO-1 is commonly regarded as a survival molecule, exerting an important role in cancer progression and its inhibition is considered beneficial in a number of cancers. However, increasing studies have shown a dark side of HO-1, in which HO-1 acts as a critical mediator in ferroptosis induction and plays a causative factor for the progression of several diseases. Ferroptosis is a newly identified iron- and lipid peroxidation-dependent cell death. The critical role of HO-1 in heme metabolism makes it an important candidate to mediate protective or detrimental effects via ferroptosis induction. This review summarizes the current understanding on the regulatory mechanisms of HO-1 in ferroptosis. The amount of cellular iron and reactive oxygen species (ROS) is the determinative momentum for the role of HO-1, in which excessive cellular iron and ROS tend to enforce HO-1 from a protective role to a perpetrator. Despite the dark side that is related to cell death, there is a prospective application of HO-1 to mediate ferroptosis for cancer therapy as a chemotherapeutic strategy against tumors.

【 授权许可】

Unknown