Ferroptosis: a novel pharmacological mechanism against multiple myeloma

BackgroundMultiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant disease characterized by the clonal proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Currently incurable, relapse and drug resistance remain significant challenges, necessitating the exploration of novel anti-MM agents. Ferroptosis, a form of cell deat...

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Main Authors: Jingbo Shi, Yitong Lu, Wenjian Wei, Guodong Ma, Changnian Li, Lulu Li, Yaru Wang, Yan Wang, Ruirong Xu, Siyuan Cui
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Pharmacology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1606804/full
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author Jingbo Shi
Yitong Lu
Wenjian Wei
Guodong Ma
Changnian Li
Lulu Li
Yaru Wang
Yan Wang
Ruirong Xu
Siyuan Cui
author_facet Jingbo Shi
Yitong Lu
Wenjian Wei
Guodong Ma
Changnian Li
Lulu Li
Yaru Wang
Yan Wang
Ruirong Xu
Siyuan Cui
author_sort Jingbo Shi
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundMultiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant disease characterized by the clonal proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Currently incurable, relapse and drug resistance remain significant challenges, necessitating the exploration of novel anti-MM agents. Ferroptosis, a form of cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, has emerged as a critical player in MM pathology and treatment. With advancing research, emerging evidence links ferroptosis to MM pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies. Natural products (NPs) and certain antitumor agents, owing to their broad bioactivities, demonstrate unique pharmacological advantages in MM therapy by targeting ferroptosis-related pathways.PurposeThis review systematically examines ferroptosis-related pathways in MM pathogenesis, focusing on pharmacological and toxicological mechanisms of natural products (NPs) and antitumor compounds in modulating ferroptosis-related pathways. It aims to provide novel insights and strategies for MM research and clinical therapy.MethodsWe systematically retrieved data from PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Scopus, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) spanning database inception to March 2025, followed by taxonomic integrative analysis of NPs’ and antitumor compounds’ echanistic classifications.ResultsNPs and antitumor compounds exert anti-MM effects via ferroptosis modulation, mechanistically mediated through: 1) lipid metabolism reprogramming; 2) ferritinophagy-driven iron homeostasis regulation; 3) Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress potentiation; 4) autophagic activation; 5) Genes and proteins regulation.ConclusionNPs and antitumor compounds demonstrate therapeutic potential against MM through multi-dimensional ferroptosis modulation, yet clinical translation faces two critical hurdles: 1) predominant focus on single-target mechanisms lacking systems pharmacology-level network analysis; 2) overreliance on in vitro models with insufficient clinical validation. Prioritize developing biomarkers and ferroptosis inducers to advance novel ferroptosis-targeting anticancer compounds.
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spelling doaj-art-aa5c0a0ea7f942e7bb571c11356b660c2025-08-20T03:25:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122025-07-011610.3389/fphar.2025.16068041606804Ferroptosis: a novel pharmacological mechanism against multiple myelomaJingbo Shi0Yitong Lu1Wenjian Wei2Guodong Ma3Changnian Li4Lulu Li5Yaru Wang6Yan Wang7Ruirong Xu8Siyuan Cui9Department of First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, ChinaDepartment of First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, ChinaDepartment of First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, ChinaDepartment of First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, ChinaDepartment of First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, ChinaDepartment of First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, ChinaDepartment of First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, ChinaDepartment of Hematology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, ChinaDepartment of Hematology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, ChinaDepartment of Hematology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, ChinaBackgroundMultiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant disease characterized by the clonal proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Currently incurable, relapse and drug resistance remain significant challenges, necessitating the exploration of novel anti-MM agents. Ferroptosis, a form of cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, has emerged as a critical player in MM pathology and treatment. With advancing research, emerging evidence links ferroptosis to MM pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies. Natural products (NPs) and certain antitumor agents, owing to their broad bioactivities, demonstrate unique pharmacological advantages in MM therapy by targeting ferroptosis-related pathways.PurposeThis review systematically examines ferroptosis-related pathways in MM pathogenesis, focusing on pharmacological and toxicological mechanisms of natural products (NPs) and antitumor compounds in modulating ferroptosis-related pathways. It aims to provide novel insights and strategies for MM research and clinical therapy.MethodsWe systematically retrieved data from PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Scopus, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) spanning database inception to March 2025, followed by taxonomic integrative analysis of NPs’ and antitumor compounds’ echanistic classifications.ResultsNPs and antitumor compounds exert anti-MM effects via ferroptosis modulation, mechanistically mediated through: 1) lipid metabolism reprogramming; 2) ferritinophagy-driven iron homeostasis regulation; 3) Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress potentiation; 4) autophagic activation; 5) Genes and proteins regulation.ConclusionNPs and antitumor compounds demonstrate therapeutic potential against MM through multi-dimensional ferroptosis modulation, yet clinical translation faces two critical hurdles: 1) predominant focus on single-target mechanisms lacking systems pharmacology-level network analysis; 2) overreliance on in vitro models with insufficient clinical validation. Prioritize developing biomarkers and ferroptosis inducers to advance novel ferroptosis-targeting anticancer compounds.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1606804/fullmultiple myelomaferroptosispharmacological mechanismnatural productsantitumor effects
spellingShingle Jingbo Shi
Yitong Lu
Wenjian Wei
Guodong Ma
Changnian Li
Lulu Li
Yaru Wang
Yan Wang
Ruirong Xu
Siyuan Cui
Ferroptosis: a novel pharmacological mechanism against multiple myeloma
Frontiers in Pharmacology
multiple myeloma
ferroptosis
pharmacological mechanism
natural products
antitumor effects
title Ferroptosis: a novel pharmacological mechanism against multiple myeloma
title_full Ferroptosis: a novel pharmacological mechanism against multiple myeloma
title_fullStr Ferroptosis: a novel pharmacological mechanism against multiple myeloma
title_full_unstemmed Ferroptosis: a novel pharmacological mechanism against multiple myeloma
title_short Ferroptosis: a novel pharmacological mechanism against multiple myeloma
title_sort ferroptosis a novel pharmacological mechanism against multiple myeloma
topic multiple myeloma
ferroptosis
pharmacological mechanism
natural products
antitumor effects
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1606804/full
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