Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Author Spotlight: Tracing the Ferroptotic Signatures and Cell Death Dynamics in Medulloblastoma for Advanced Therapeutics
04:01

Author Spotlight: Tracing the Ferroptotic Signatures and Cell Death Dynamics in Medulloblastoma for Advanced Therapeutics

Published on: March 15, 2024

2.2K

Ferrous sulfate induces ferroptosis-like cell death in Trichosporon asahii

Lingzhi Xu1,2, Haochen Guo1,2, Xin Yang2

  • 1Zhujiang Hospital, The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Frontiers in Microbiology
|April 17, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄) effectively inhibits Trichosporon asahii by inducing ferroptosis-like cell death. This novel mechanism involves iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation, offering a new avenue for antifungal drug development.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Pathogen Research
  • Cell Death Mechanisms

Background:

  • Trichosporon asahii is a major cause of invasive fungal infections.
  • This pathogen shows resistance to common antifungal drugs, complicating treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the antifungal effects of ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄) against Trichosporon asahii.
  • To elucidate the cell death pathway induced by FeSO₄ in this fungus.

Main Methods:

  • Treatment of Trichosporon asahii with ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄).
  • Analysis of cell death characteristics including apoptosis, iron dependence, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and lipid peroxidation.
  • Assessment of mitochondrial membrane potential.
  • Reversal studies using the ferroptosis inhibitor Ferrostatin-1.
  • Transcriptomic analysis to identify affected gene pathways.

Main Results:

  • FeSO₄ demonstrated potent inhibition of Trichosporon asahii.
  • FeSO₄ induced a ferroptosis-like cell death, characterized by non-apoptotic death, iron dependence, ROS burst, and lipid peroxidation.
  • Mitochondrial membrane potential was damaged.
  • Ferrostatin-1 partially reversed the cell death, confirming ferroptosis involvement.
  • Transcriptomic analysis revealed alterations in redox, glutathione metabolism, and proteasome pathways.

Conclusions:

  • Ferrous sulfate triggers a novel ferroptosis-like death pathway in Trichosporon asahii.
  • This pathway is dependent on iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation.
  • This discovery presents a new ferroptosis-based strategy for developing antifungal therapies against resistant fungi.
Keywords:
Trichosporon asahiiferroptosisferrous sulfatelipid peroxidationmembrane damagereactive oxygen speciestranscriptomics

More Related Videos

Ferritinophagy: Assessing the Selective Degradation of Iron by Autophagy in Human Fibroblasts09:21

Ferritinophagy: Assessing the Selective Degradation of Iron by Autophagy in Human Fibroblasts

Published on: February 23, 2024

1.7K
A Rapid and Specific Microplate Assay for the Determination of Intra- and Extracellular Ascorbate in Cultured Cells11:56

A Rapid and Specific Microplate Assay for the Determination of Intra- and Extracellular Ascorbate in Cultured Cells

Published on: April 11, 2014

14.0K

Related Concept Videos

Necrosis01:16

Necrosis

Necrosis is considered as an “accidental” or unexpected form of cell death that ends in cell lysis. The first noticeable mention of “necrosis” was in 1859 when Rudolf Virchow used this term to describe advanced tissue breakdown in his compilation titled “Cell Pathology”.
Morphological Manifestations of Necrosis
Necrotic cells show different types of morphological appearance depending on the type of tissue and infection. In coagulative necrosis, cells become...
7.4K
Overview of Cell Death01:30

Overview of Cell Death

Cell death is an essential process where the body gets rid of old or damaged cells. Cell proliferation and death need to be balanced, as an imbalance between the two may lead to cancer or autoimmune diseases.
Cell death was observed in the early 19th century, but there was no experimental evidence to prove it. In 1842, Carl Vogt first discovered cell death in a metamorphic toad; however, it was not termed ‘cell death.’ Scientists discovered different cell death pathways only in the...
11.3K
Sulfur Assimilation01:20

Sulfur Assimilation

Sulfur is an essential element in biological systems, contributing to synthesizing key biomolecules, including amino acids such as cysteine and methionine, and cofactors such as coenzyme A and biotin. Microorganisms primarily assimilate sulfur as sulfate (SO₄²⁻) from the environment, which must undergo a series of biochemical transformations before it can be incorporated into cellular components. As sulfate is highly oxidized, it must undergo assimilatory sulfate reduction to...
532
Antifungal Agents01:15

Antifungal Agents

Amphotericin B is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that exploits structural differences between fungal and mammalian cell membranes. Its amphipathic structure—featuring a hydrophobic polyene-lactone ring and a hydrophilic region containing mycosamine and carboxylic acid groups—enables selective binding to ergosterol, a sterol predominantly found in fungal plasma membranes. This selective interaction underlies the drug’s antifungal activity, although weak binding to...
103
Fungal Phylum Ascomycota01:28

Fungal Phylum Ascomycota

Phylum Ascomycota, a major division within the subkingdom Dikarya, comprises a diverse range of fungal species, including both unicellular yeasts and filamentous molds such as Aspergillus and Penicillium. These fungi thrive in a variety of habitats, from aquatic ecosystems to terrestrial environments, playing crucial ecological and economic roles.Morphology and ReproductionThe defining characteristic of Ascomycetes, commonly referred to as sac fungi, is the ascus—a sac-like structure that...
2.5K
Autophagic Cell Death01:18

Autophagic Cell Death

Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
5.1K