Molecular mechanism of ferroptosis and its role in the occurrence and treatment of diabetes

Guanghui Du; Qi Zhang; Xiaobo Huang; Yi Wang

doi:10.3389/fgene.2022.1018829

Molecular mechanism of ferroptosis and its role in the occurrence and treatment of diabetes

Front Genet. 2022 Sep 9:13:1018829. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1018829. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Guanghui Du¹, Qi Zhang², Xiaobo Huang³, Yi Wang³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Outpatient, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
² School of Medicine, University of Electronics and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
³ Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.

Abstract

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent programmed cell death, which is different from apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. Specifically, under the action of divalent iron or ester oxygenase, unsaturated fatty acids that are highly expressed on the cell membrane are catalyzed to produce lipid peroxidation, which induces cell death. In addition, the expression of the antioxidant system [glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4)] is decreased. Ferroptosis plays an important role in the development of diabetes mellitus and its complications. In this article, we review the molecular mechanism of ferroptosis in the development of diabetes mellitus and its complications. We also summarize the emerging questions in this particular area of research, some of which remain unanswered. Overall, this is a comprehensive review focusing on ferroptosis-mediated diabetes and providing novel insights in the treatment of diabetes from the perspective of ferroptosis.

Keywords: GPX4; ROS; diabetes; ferroptosis; ferroptosis inhibitor; lipid peroxide.

Publication types

Review