Paper co-authored by Professor Ichikawa has been published in Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports

September 17, 2026

A paper co-authored by Professor Satoshi Ichikawa of Hokkaido University’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences has been published in Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports.

  • Seong-Jin An, Jun-Ichi Kashiwakura, Akira Katsuyama, Sumihito Togi, Yuichi Kitai, Ryuta Muromoto, Toshiaki Miura, Satoshi Ichikawa, Tadashi Matsuda. Ozonated olive oil inhibits melanoma proliferation by inducing ferroptosis. Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports, 2025, Vol. 44, pp. 102267
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrep.2025.102267

Abstract

Although ozone is a potent oxidant that can damage lungs and skin after prolonged exposure, ozonated olive oil (OZO) exhibits antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing effects. Here, we describe a novel application of OZO in melanoma therapy. Treatment with OZO markedly inhibited the proliferation of both human and murine melanoma cells, while sparing normal human keratinocyte. At the molecular level, OZO upregulated ferroptosis-related genes, decreased intracellular glutathione (GSH) and GPX4 protein levels and accelerated lipid peroxidation. Critically, OZO-induced growth inhibition in melanoma cells was prevented by ferroptosis inhibitors (ferrostatin-1 and deferiprone), but not by inhibitors of apoptosis or necroptosis. Taken together, these findings offer new therapeutics strategy for treating melanoma by inducing ferroptosis.

Keywords

Melanoma; Ozonated olive oil; Ferroptosis; Lipid peroxidation

Credit: An et al., Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports, 44, 102267 (2025), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrep.2025.102267 © 2025 The Authors. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.