Ginsenoside-Mediated Ferroptosis Regulation: Bidirectional Effects and Therapeutic Potential in Diseases

Notably, certain ginsenoside components exhibit distinct bidirectional and context-dependent regulatory effects on ferroptosis depending on the disease setting. In aberrantly proliferating or activated cells, ginsenosides function as ferroptosis inducers, whereas in damaged quiescent cells of normal tissues, they act as ferroptosis inhibitors. The pro-ferroptotic effect is predominantly observed in cells characterized by abnormal proliferation or activation, such as cancer cells and activated hepatic stellate cells in liver fibrosis. In this context, ginsenosides modulate key iron metabolism proteins and suppress antioxidant defense systems (e.g., GPX4, SLC7A11), thereby triggering intracellular iron overload and explosive lipid peroxidation, ultimately culminating in ferroptosis. Conversely, the anti-ferroptotic effect primarily targets damaged non-proliferative cells in normal tissues subjected to pathological insults (e.g., ischemia-reperfusion, inflammation). In this setting, the regulatory focus of ginsenosides shifts toward maintaining iron homeostasis through mechanisms including upregulation of iron storage proteins (e.g., FTH1), downregulation of iron uptake proteins (e.g., TFRC), and inhibition of labile Fe²⁺ accumulation, thereby blocking ferroptosis initiation. This review systematically elucidates the pharmacological effects and underlying mechanisms by which different ginsenoside components regulate ferroptosis across various disease contexts and cell types, with particular emphasis on their disease- and cell type-dependent bidirectional regulatory characteristics. By highlighting these context-specific effects, we aim to provide novel potential therapeutic targets and mechanistic insights for the precision treatment of diverse pathological conditions, including malignant proliferative disorders, non-malignant aberrantly activated/proliferative diseases such as liver fibrosis, and cell injury/degenerative diseases.