Ferroptosis is a nonapoptotic form of programmed cell death triggered by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) depended on iron overload. Although most investigations focus on the relationship between ferroptosis and cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and ischemia/reperfusion injury, research on ferroptosis induced by immune-related inflammatory diseases, especially sepsis, is scarce. Sestrin2 (Sesn2), a highly evolutionary and stress-responsive protein, is critically involved in defense against oxidative stress challenges. Upregulated expression of Sesn2 has been observed in preliminary experiments to have an antioxidative function in the context of an inflammatory response. Nevertheless, the underlying function of Sesn2 in inflammation-mediated ferroptosis in the immune system remains uncertain. The current study aimed to demonstrate the protective effect of Sesn2 on ferroptosis and even correlations with ferroptosis and the functions of ferroptotic-dendritic cells (DCs) stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The mechanism underlying DCs protection from LPS-induced ferroptosis by Sesn2 was further explored in this study. We found that the immune response of DCs assessed by co-stimulatory phenotypes was gradually enhanced at the peak time of 12 h upon 1 μg/ml LPS stimulation while ferroptosis in DCs treated with LPS at 24 h was significantly detected. LPS-induced ferroptosis showed a suppressive impact on DCs in phenotypic maturation, which was conversely relieved by the ferroptotic inhibitor. Compared with wild-type (WT) mice, DCs in genetic defective mice of Sesn2 (Sesn2-/-) exhibited exacerbated ferroptosis. Furthermore, the protective effect of Sesn2 on ferroptosis was noticed to be associated with the ATF4-CHOP-CHAC1 pathway, eventually exacerbating ferroptosis by degrading of glutathione. These results indicate that Sesn2 can suppress the ferroptosis of DCs in sepsis by downregulating the ATF4-CHOP-CHAC1 signaling pathway, and it might play an antioxidative role.
© 2021. The Author(s).