Hepcidin – The Peptide Regulating the Body Amount and Distribution of Iron in Health andDisease

Overview

Iron is an essential element and its amount and balance must be precisely regulated. Iron intestinal absorption isessential for the iron balance; however, the precise mechanism of its regulation remains unknown. Antimicrobialpeptide hepcidin, produced in the liver, is considered as a key regulator of iron absorption and kinetics in the organism.Its expression increases in response to the iron overload. Hepcidin decreases iron absorption in the duodenum andcauses its sequestration in macrophages. Apart from the iron, inflammation increases hepcidin expression in theliver, and hepcidin is considered to be acute phase protein. Hepcidin is not only the physiological regulator of ironkinetics but is supposed to be a part of the pathogenetic mechanism of anaemia accompanying chronic diseases andits relationship to the hereditary hemochromatosis is also studied.

Key words:
hepcidin, iron, hemochromatosis, anaemia, inflammation, acute phase proteins.