Inducing Ferroptosis: Sensitization Strategy for Radiotherapy and Its Application

Ferroptosis is a novel regulated cell death caused by the accumulation of iron-dependent ROS and excessive local lipid peroxides in the membrane, widely involved in various physiological and pathological processes. Ferroptosis has emerged as a key mechanism in radiotherapy response. Radiotherapy is an effective treatment for many types of cancers, which not only causes double-stranded DNA break-induced apoptosis, but also induces the production of ROS, leading to oxidative stress and tumor cell death. Recent studies have shown that ionizing radiation in radiotherapy can induce ferroptosis in tumor cells. The combination of radiotherapy and ferroptosis induction can synergistically induce ferroptosis to enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to radiotherapy, making ferroptosis induction a promising radiosensitization strategy. In this review, we summarize the characteristics and regulation of ferroptosis, analyze the mechanism of radiotherapy-induced ferroptosis, and specifically discuss the different strategies of inducing ferroptosis for radiosensitization. We also point out the shortcomings, future prospects, and research directions of this strategy.