Obeagu Emmanuel Ifeanyi, Ngwoke Anthonia Onyinye, Malunga Garikai
Department of Biomedical and Laboratory Science, Africa University, Zimbabwe.
Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Nigeria.
Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2025 Apr 25;87(6):3556-3565. doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000003296. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Iron is an essential element for cell growth and metabolism, but its dysregulation is a key feature in the pathogenesis of various cancers, including breast cancer. Cancer cells require elevated iron levels to support their rapid growth, and as such, iron chelation has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy. Iron chelators work by binding free iron in cancer cells, preventing its use in critical biological processes and thereby disrupting tumor cell proliferation. This review discusses the mechanisms of action of iron chelators in breast cancer therapy, highlighting how they induce oxidative stress, impair DNA repair, and alter cellular iron homeostasis, ultimately leading to cancer cell death. Iron chelation therapy has been explored in several clinical and preclinical studies for its potential to enhance the effectiveness of conventional breast cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy. By depleting intracellular iron, iron chelators can sensitize cancer cells to these treatments, increasing the cytotoxic effects and improving patient outcomes. Additionally, novel iron chelators with higher specificity for tumor cells are being developed, which aim to minimize off-target effects and enhance therapeutic efficacy. While iron chelation therapy has shown promise in early-phase trials, further research is needed to optimize these agents for clinical use in breast cancer treatment.
铁是细胞生长和代谢所必需的元素，但其失调是包括乳腺癌在内的各种癌症发病机制的关键特征。癌细胞需要升高的铁水平来支持其快速生长，因此，铁螯合已成为一种有前景的治疗策略。铁螯合剂通过结合癌细胞中的游离铁起作用，阻止其在关键生物学过程中的使用，从而破坏肿瘤细胞增殖。本文综述了铁螯合剂在乳腺癌治疗中的作用机制，强调了它们如何诱导氧化应激、损害DNA修复并改变细胞铁稳态，最终导致癌细胞死亡。铁螯合疗法已在多项临床和临床前研究中进行探索，因其有可能增强包括化疗和放疗在内的传统乳腺癌治疗的有效性。通过消耗细胞内铁，铁螯合剂可使癌细胞对这些治疗敏感，增加细胞毒性作用并改善患者预后。此外，正在开发对肿瘤细胞具有更高特异性的新型铁螯合剂，旨在最大限度地减少脱靶效应并提高治疗效果。虽然铁螯合疗法在早期试验中已显示出前景，但仍需要进一步研究以优化这些药物用于乳腺癌治疗的临床应用。
