2. Academic Validation
  3. Paeonol Inhibits Cell Growth by Inducing Ferroptosis in Human Glioma Cells

Paeonol Inhibits Cell Growth by Inducing Ferroptosis in Human Glioma Cells

  • Pharmacol Res Perspect. 2026 Feb;14(1):e70213. doi: 10.1002/prp2.70213.
Xin Li 1,  Xue-Qi Liao 1,  Wen-Rui Chen 1,  Tao Wu 1,  Jin-Xuan Li 1,  Ling Wang 1,  Bin-Sheng He 1,  Xin Qin 1 2 3,  Jin-Que Luo 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of the Research and Development of Novel Pharmaceutical Preparations, "the 14th Five-Year Plan" Application Characteristic Discipline of Hunan Province (Pharmaceutical Science), College of Pharmacy, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
  • 2 Hunan Provincial University Key Laboratory of the Fundamental and Clinical Research on Functional Nucleic Acid, College of Pharmacy, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
  • 3 Hunan Provincial University Key Laboratory of the Fundamental and Clinical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
PMID: 41445272 DOI: 10.1002/prp2.70213
Abstract

Paeonol (PAE), a phenolic phytochemical derived from traditional Chinese medicinal Plants, exhibits multifaceted pharmacological properties including demonstrated antitumor efficacy against hepatic, gastric, and breast carcinomas. However, its therapeutic potential in glioma remains unexplored. Ferroptosis, a regulatory cell death pathway dependent on iron content mediated through lethal lipid peroxidation, has become a prospective method for targeted treatment of drug-resistant malignant tumors. This study confirmed that PAE is a new inducer of Ferroptosis in human glioma cells. Inhibition of glioma proliferation, migration, and invasion was observed. Mechanistically, PAE depletes lipid droplets (LDs) and amplifies cytotoxic lipid peroxides (LPO) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS); caspase-independent cell death was achieved. Crucially, Ferroptosis inhibitors (ferrostatin-1, α-tocopherol) reversed PAE's antineoplastic roles, confirming pathway specificity. These findings position PAE as a dual-action agent capable of simultaneously inducing Ferroptosis and impeding metastatic spread, offering a mechanistically distinct approach to overcome temozolomide resistance in glioma therapeutics.

Keywords

ferroptosis; glioma; paeonol.

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