Hepcidin and iron homeostasis / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

ABSTRACT

The understanding of iron metabolism in humans, especially of its mechanism involved in controlling iron absorption in the proximal small intestine, is of great importance since diseases associated with iron deficiency or overload are very common worldwide. Recent study on hepcidin which is senthesized by liver has showed that this originally identified as a circulating antimicrobial peptide is a putative iron regulatory hormone. It plays a central role in the regulation of small intestine iron absorption and body iron homeostasis. The increased expression of hepcidin in the liver, induced by inflammation, might be an initial cause of the anemia of infection or chronic diseases and the iron-overload diseases might be tightly associated with the decreased hepcidin expression in the liver.