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PP-04

Preliminary evidence of ferroptosis-associated cytotoxicity by specifically

processed wasabi by-products in PA-1 ovarian teratocarcinoma cells

1
3
1,2
Chih-Yu Lee, Chiung-Hui Liu, Hsin-Yi Tsai, Wei-Ting Hou, Yi-Hong Tsai*
,1
1

1 Department of Pharmacy and Master Program, College of Pharmacy and Health Care, Tajen
University, Pingtung County 907101, Taiwan
2 Joben Bio-Medical, Co., Ltd., Pingtung County 908005, Taiwan
3 Taipei Fuhsing private school, Taipei 10682, Taiwan
* E-mail: bear@tajen.edu.tw

Abstract
In Taiwan, the cultivation of Eutrema japonicum (syn. Wasabia japonica) generates large
amounts of aerial by-products such as leaves and petioles, which are often discarded and cause
environmental burdens. These by-products contain diverse pharmacologically active
phytochemicals, including isothiocyanates, glucosinolates, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids,
lignans, and fatty acids, with reported anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and potential anticancer
activities. This study aimed to integrate agricultural waste valorization with novel anticancer
strategies by investigating the effects of wasabi extracts on ovarian teratocarcinoma PA-1 cells.
Experimental results demonstrated that both ethanol extracts (EJ-E) and aqueous extracts (EJ-
H) exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity. At 500 μg/mL, EJ-E reduced PA-1 cell viability to
approximately 60%. Mechanistic analysis confirmed that EJ-E elevated intracellular ferrous
iron (Fe²⁺) levels up to 2.5-fold compared with controls, along with increased malondialdehyde
(MDA) accumulation, indicating enhanced lipid peroxidation. EJ-H induced similar changes
but to a lesser extent, suggesting solvent choice affects preservation of active compounds. In
summary, this study provides the first evidence that wasabi by-product extracts inhibit ovarian
cancer cell growth through ferroptosis. These findings highlight the pharmacological potential
of wasabi by-products and support their development as natural anticancer agents and
functional health resources. Future work will focus on validating molecular pathways and
advancing extraction process optimization and activity-guided phytochemical analyses,
including solvent ratio refinement, active compound isolation and identification, rapid
purification methods, and the establishment of HPLC fingerprints and quantitative standards.
These efforts aim to lay a foundation for quality control and strengthen translational potential
in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.

Keywords: Wasabi by-products; P A -1 ovarian teratocarcinoma cells; Ferroptosis; Iron-
dependent lipid peroxidation (Fe²⁺/MDA); Agricultural waste valorization