Ferroptosis is a recently identified form of regulated cell death defined by the
iron-dependent accumulation of
lipid reactive oxygen species. Ferroptosis has been studied in various diseases such as
cancer,
Parkinson's disease, and
stroke. However, the exact function and mechanism of ferroptosis in
ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, especially in the intestine, remains unknown. Considering the unique conditions required for ferroptosis, we hypothesize that
ischemia promotes ferroptosis immediately after intestinal reperfusion. In contrast to conventional strategies employed in I/R studies, we focused on the ischemic phase. Here we verified ferroptosis by assessing proferroptotic changes after
ischemia along with
protein and lipid peroxidation levels during reperfusion. The inhibition of ferroptosis by
liproxstatin-1 ameliorated I/R-induced intestinal injury.
Acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4), which is a key
enzyme that regulates
lipid composition, has been shown to contribute to the execution of ferroptosis, but its role in I/R needs clarification. In the present study, we used
rosiglitazone (ROSI) and
siRNA to inhibit
ischemia/
hypoxia-induced ACSL4 in vivo and in vitro. The results demonstrated that ACSL4 inhibition before reperfusion protected against ferroptosis and cell death. Further investigation revealed that special
protein 1 (Sp1) was a crucial
transcription factor that increased ACSL4 transcription by binding to the ACSL4 promoter region. Collectively, this study demonstrates that ferroptosis is closely associated with intestinal I/R injury, and that ACSL4 has a critical role in this lethal process. Sp1 is an important factor in promoting ACSL4 expression. These results suggest a unique and effective mechanistic approach for intestinal I/R injury prevention and treatment.