Quercetin and Ferroptosis

Abstract

Quercetin is a flavonoid present in apples, onions, tea, red wines, and berries, and it has shown different beneficial effects, such as providing cardiovascular protection, possessing anti-inflammatory properties, and demonstrating anticancer activity, among others. These diseases are related to oxidizing molecules such as ROS because these species react and induce the oxidation of cellular biomolecules, such as proteins, lipids, DNA, or carbohydrates, which alters cellular homeostasis. Regarding lipids, the oxidation of these molecules induces lipid hydroperoxides which, if not decreased, particularly by GPX4, produce highly reactive aldehydes such as 4HNE and MDA. These oxidative conditions induce ferroptosis, a type of cell death associated with oxidation that differs from other types of cell death, such as apoptosis, necrosis, or autophagy. The induction of ferroptosis is desired in some diseases, such as cancer, but in others, such as cardiovascular diseases, this type of cell death is not wanted. The possible effects of quercetin associated with reducing or inducing ferroptosis have not been reviewed. Thus, this review focuses on the ability of quercetin to produce ferroptosis in diseases such as cancer as a treatment option and, conversely, on its role in deactivating ferroptosis to alleviate diseases such as cardiovascular diseases.