Hepcidin
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Hepcidin is a peptide hormone produced in the liver, which appears to be the "master" control mechanism of human iron metabolism. It also affects enterocytes, but also macrophages and the liver. Originally thought to be an antibacterial substance, [1] it is now believed to be an inhibitor of iron intake into the body, [2] by binding to and inactivating ferroportin, according to an August 2008 paper in Cell Metabolism.[3]
It is made of 25 amino acids. Work in 2001 revealed that in mice, iron loading influenced hepcidin synthesis. [4]
References
- ↑ Park CH et al. (2001), "Hepcidin, a Urinary Antimicrobial Peptide Synthesized in the Liver", Journal of Biological Chemistry 276: 7806-7810, DOI:10.1074/jbc.M008922200
- ↑ Ganz T, Nemeth E (2005), "Iron imports. IV. Hepcidin and regulation of body iron metabolism", Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 290: G199–G203, DOI:10.1152/ajpgi.00412.2005
- ↑ "Key site in iron metabolism aids in diagnosing anemia of chronic disease", eScience
- ↑ Enrico Rossi, "Hepcidin - the Iron Regulatory Hormone", Clin Biochem Rev. 2005 August; 26(3): 47–49.