Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Regulate Dendritic Cell Function via Nrf2-dependent Control of Ferroptosis

Dendritic cells (DCs) orchestrate adaptive immune responses to pathogens and tumors, yet how dietary lipids influence DC metabolism and function remains largely unexplored. Here we show that dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) govern DC activity via Nuclear factor erythroid 2–like 2 (Nrf2)–dependent control of ferroptosis. In mice, an n-6 PUFA–enriched diet suppressed DC Nrf2 signaling, depleted glutathione, and induced lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis, thereby compromising antigen presentation. By contrast, dietary n-3 PUFAs enhanced Nrf2 signaling and redox homeostasis, preserving DC integrity and T cell priming. Pharmacologic Nrf2 activation or ferroptosis inhibition restored the function of DCs from n-6 PUFA–fed mice. Notably, adoptive immunotherapy with DCs conditioned by a diet rich in n-3 PUFAs—but not n-6 PUFAs—elicited durable, T cell–dependent control of metastatic ovarian cancer. These findings identify dietary PUFAs as key modulators of the Nrf2–glutathione–ferroptosis axis in DCs and reveal a redox-sensitive metabolic checkpoint that can be leveraged to improve cancer immunotherapy.