Research progress on iron metabolic reprogramming and iron chelation therapy in ovarian cancer

Chen Benjun; Zou Dongling

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Research progress on iron metabolic reprogramming and iron chelation therapy in ovarian cancer

更新时间：2026-10-27

- Research progress on iron metabolic reprogramming and iron chelation therapy in ovarian cancer
- Journal of Chongqing Medical University Pages: 1-6(2026)
- 作者机构：
  
  1.重庆医科大学附属大足医院妇科，重庆　402360
  2.重庆市肿瘤医院妇科肿瘤中心，重庆　400030
- 作者简介：
- 基金信息：
- DOI：
  CLC： R737
- Received：30 June 2026，
  
  Revised：2026-09-18，
  
  Accepted：10 October 2026，
  
  Published：27 October 2026
- 稿件说明：
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Chen Benjun,Zou Dongling.Research progress on iron metabolic reprogramming and iron chelation therapy in ovarian cancer[J].Journal of Chongqing Medical University,
DOI：

Chen Benjun,Zou Dongling.Research progress on iron metabolic reprogramming and iron chelation therapy in ovarian cancer[J].Journal of Chongqing Medical University, DOI：10.13406/j.cnki.cyxb..

摘要

卵巢癌仍是预后最差的妇科恶性肿瘤之一，晚期患者5年生存率长期徘徊在40%~50%，铂类耐药和复发是影响疗效提升的主要原因。近年来，铁代谢重编程被视为卵巢癌的重要代谢特点，卵巢癌细胞普遍表现为转铁蛋白受体升高、铁转运蛋白减少和细胞内不稳定铁池增多，这种“铁成瘾”状态有利于肿瘤快速增殖，也参与化疗耐药的形成。与此同时，铁信号分子调控肿瘤相关巨噬细胞（tumor-associated macrophages，TAMs）的极化方向，从而形成免疫抑制性微环境。铁螯合疗法最初用于治疗遗传性血色素沉着病、输血性铁过载，该疗法的抗肿瘤潜力近年来被重新发现。去铁酮、地拉罗司和去铁胺等药物通过耗竭肿瘤细胞的可利用铁、诱导铁死亡、调控巨噬细胞铁代谢等方式发挥抗肿瘤作用。本文阐述铁代谢重编程在卵巢癌发生发展中的作用、探讨铁信号如何调节免疫微环境，同时总结铁螯合疗法的最新进展与临床转化前景。系统梳理了铁代谢重编程-铁死亡调控-免疫微环境重塑-治疗转化的连续调控网络，从肿瘤细胞、免疫细胞及治疗策略3个维度进行整合分析，并指出该领域需要解决的重要问题。

Abstract

Ovarian cancer remains one of the gynecologic malignancies with the poorest prognosis. The 5-year survival rate of patients with advanced ovarian cancer has long remained at 40%-50%，with platinum resistance and recurrence representing the primary obstacles to improving treatment outcomes. In recent years，iron metabolic reprogramming has been recognized as an important metabolic feature of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer cells commonly exhibit increased expression of transferrin receptor，reduced expression of ferroportin，and expansion of the intracellular labile iron pool. This state of “iron addiction” supports rapid tumor proliferation and contributes to the development of chemoresistance. Moreover，iron signaling molecules regulate the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages，thereby contributing to the formation of an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Iron chelation therapy was initially used to treat hereditary hemochromatosis and transfusion-related iron overload. In recent years，its potential antitumor effects have been rediscovered. Agents such as deferiprone，deferasirox，and deferoxamine exert antitumor effects by depleting the iron available to tumor cells，inducing ferroptosis，and regulating iron metabolism in macrophages. This review summarizes the role of iron metabolic reprogramming in the development and progression of ovarian cancer and examines how iron signaling regulates the immune microenvironment. It also summarizes recent advances in iron chelation therapy and its prospects for clinical translation. In addition，this review systematically delineates the continuous regulatory network linking iron metabolic reprogramming，ferroptosis regulation，immune microenvironment remodeling，and therapeutic translation. This article integrates the relevant evidence from three dimensions，namely tumor cells，immune cells，and therapeutic strategies，and identifies the key issues that remain to be addressed in this field.

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