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Significance: Iron is an essential element for every life on earth as a primary media for electron flow. Sulfur compounds as sulfhydryls counteract catalytic activity of iron whereas sulfur overdose is also toxic. In aerobic organisms, oxygen is the major media for electron transfer with higher intracellular mobility, which cooperates with the iron system. Based on the importance of iron, there is no active pathway to excrete iron outside the body in higher species. Whereas bacterial infection causes a scramble for iron in situ, cancer can be the outcome of the side effects of long use of iron and oxygen. Recent Advances: Ferroptosis is a recently coined cell death, defined as catalytic Fe(II)-dependent regulated necrosis accompanied by lipid peroxidation. Researchers recently recognized that ferroptosis is involved in a variety of physiological and pathological contexts, including embryonic erythropoiesis, aging, neurodegeneration and cancer cell death. Alternatively, carcinogenesis is a process to obtain iron addiction with ferroptosis-resistance, based on rodent animal studies. Critical Issues: Here we propose that ferroptosis is three-dimensionally regulated by iron, sulfur and oxygen, which correspond to oxidants, antioxidants and membrane fluidity with susceptibility to lipid peroxidation, respectively. Future Directions: Whereas life attempts to prevent ferroptosis, ferroptotic cells eventually emit iron-loaded ferritin as extracellular vesicles to maintain monopoly of iron. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 39, 807–815. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma is the fourth physical state of matter, characterized by an ionized gaseous mixture, after solid, liquid, and gas phases, and contains a wide array of components such as ions, electrons, radicals, and ultraviolet ray. Whereas the sun and thunder are typical natural plasma, recent progress in the electronics enabled the generation of body-temperature plasma, designated as low-temperature plasma (LTP) or non-thermal plasma since the 1990s. LTP has attracted the attention of researchers for possible biological and medical applications. All the living species on earth utilize water as essential media for solvents and molecular transport. Thus, biological application of LTP naturally intervenes water whether LTP is exposed directly or indirectly, where plasma-activated lactate (PAL) is a standard, containing H2O2, NO2− and other identified molecules. Electron spin resonance and immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that LTP exposure is a handy method to load local oxidative stress. Cancer cells are characterized by persistent self-replication and high cytosolic catalytic Fe(II). Therefore, both direct exposure of LTP and PAL can provide higher damage to cancer cells in comparison to non-tumorous cells, which has been demonstrated in a variety of cancer types. The cell death mode is either apoptosis or ferroptosis, depending on the cancer-type. Thus, LTP and PAL are expected to work as an additional cancer therapy to the established guideline protocols, especially for use in somatic cavities or surgical margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]