Erastin Induces Ferroptosis and Apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cell Line

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most malignant types of cancer in women. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer with poor prognosis and high recurrence and invasive metastasis rates. Ferroptosis is a non-apoptotic form of cell death characterized by iron-dependent accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although ferroptosis induced by erastin has been widely studied, the ability of erastin to induce apoptosis has not been extensively investigated. Objective: To evaluate the effect of erastin on the viability of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and also to investigate the potential of erastin to induce ferroptosis and apoptosis. Methods: MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) and treated with erastin. Cell viability was assessed by 4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The total cellular labile iron pool (LIP) was detected based on the calcein-acetoxymethyl ester (C-AM) method. Cellular ROS level was detected using an ROS fluorometric assay kit. Cell apoptosis was detected using an annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and propidium iodide (PI) apoptosis detection kit. Results: Erastin inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells and significantly increased the levels of ROS, LIP, and MDA in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The results have also demonstrated that erastin had the ability to induce apoptosis. Conclusions: Erastin induced two forms of cell death, ferroptosis and apoptosis, in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. These findings suggest that erastin may be further investigated as a novel anti-TNBC agent.