Quercetin inhibits the progression of endometrial HEC-1-A cells by regulating ferroptosis—a preliminary study

BACKGROUND: Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is one of the most common female reproductive system tumors, which seriously threatens women's health. This preliminary study aimed to investigate the effects of quercetin on the EC cells and explore the potential mechanism. METHODS: In this study, the effects of quercetin on endometrial cancer HEC-1-A cells were studied by a series of cell biological methods, including CCK-8 detection of cell activity, Western blotting of ferroptosis-related proteins, apoptosis detection, reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection and other detections. RESULTS: Our results showed that quercetin inhibited the proliferation and migration of EC cells, induced cell apoptosis, and affected the cell cycle. Furthermore, the anti-tumor effect of quercetin was related to the induction of ferroptosis in the EC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows quercetin may exert anti-tumor effects, which may be related to the regulation of ferroptosis. Our study provides evidence for the future treatment of EC with small molecule drugs.