Ponicidin suppresses pancreatic cancer growth by inducing ferroptosis: Insight gained by mass spectrometry-based metabolomics

•Ponicidin had an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of pancreatic cancer SW1990 cells.•Ponicidin could form a Pon-GSH conjugate with glutathione through Michael addition in the gamma-glutamyl cycle.•Ponicidin could bind to GPX4 to reduce the content of the activity of GPX4.•Ponicidin could induce cell ferroptosis by affecting the gamma-glutamyl cycle.