Sanggenol L induces ferroptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells via regulating the miR-26a-1-3p/MDM2/p53 signaling pathway

Ferroptosis is a regulated cell death marked by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Tumor cells that survive by evading chemotherapy-induced apoptosis are vulnerable to ferroptosis. Therefore, it is particularly urgent to explore active ingredients that can selectively induce ferroptosis in cancer cells. Here, we revealed that sanggenol L, the active agent of Morus Bark, predisposed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells to ferroptosis, evidenced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, glutathione depletion, mitochondrial shrinkage, and lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, the ferroptosis-related miRNA array showed that sanggenol L treatment upregulated the level of miR-26a-1-3p, which directly targeted the E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2. In addition, silencing MDM2 by miR-26a-1-3p resulted in a notable increase in p53 protein levels and decrease of its downstream target SLC7A11, ultimately triggered ferroptosis. The subcutaneous xenograft model and patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) model of NSCLC further confirmed the anti-tumor efficacy and safety of sanggenol L in vivo. Collectively, our data suggest that miR-26a-1-3p/MDM2/p53/SLC7A11 signaling axis plays a key role in sanggenol L-induced ferroptosis, which implies that sanggenol L can serves as an anticancer therapeutic arsenal for NSCLC.