What is the role of hepcidin?

Hepcidin is the central regulator of systemic iron homeostasis. Dysregulation of hepcidin production results in a variety of iron disorders. Hepcidin deficiency is the cause of iron overload in hereditary hemochromatosis, iron-loading anemias, and hepatitis C.

What happens when hepcidin is increased?

During conditions in which the hepcidin level is abnormally high, such as inflammation, serum iron falls due to iron trapping within macrophages and liver cells and decreased gut iron absorption. This typically leads to anemia due to an inadequate amount of serum iron being available for developing red blood cells.

How does hepcidin cause iron overload?

Hepcidin inhibits iron entry into plasma by binding to and inactivating the iron exporter ferroportin in target cells, such as duodenal enterocytes and tissue macrophages. Hepcidin is induced in response to increased body iron stores to inhibit further iron absorption and prevent iron overload.

What type of hormone is hepcidin?

Hepcidin is now acknowledged to be the main iron regulatory hormone. It is a 25-amino acid peptide exclusively synthesized by the liver, initially identified as part of a search for novel antimicrobial peptides.

How does hepcidin regulate iron absorption?

Regulation of body iron homeostasis by hepcidin. Hepcidin is secreted primarily by hepatocytes into the circulation, where it functions to inhibit iron absorption in the proximal small intestine and iron release from RE macrophages by binding to its receptor ferroportin and causing its internalization and degradation.

Why does hepcidin decrease iron absorption?

Hepcidin reduces the iron entry to plasma from absorptive duodenal cells and iron recycling macrophages by blocking iron export (Aschemeyer et al., 2018) and by degrading the iron exporter ferroportin (Nemeth et al., 2004).

What regulates hepcidin?

Hepcidin is produced in the liver by hepatocytes and its expression is feedback regulated by iron.

What is hepcidin secreted by?

Hepcidin is secreted primarily by hepatocytes into the circulation, where it functions to inhibit iron absorption in the proximal small intestine and iron release from RE macrophages by binding to its receptor ferroportin and causing its internalization and degradation.

How is hepcidin stimulated?

Hepcidin production is stimulated by iron loading and inflammation (Table 1). Hepcidin increase by iron prevents further iron loading to ensure the maintenance of body iron balance. Inflammatory increase in hepcidin causes acute hypoferremia, which likely has a role in nutritional immunity.

How does hepcidin regulate iron levels in the blood?

What produces hepcidin?

Hepcidin is a peptide hormone produced primarily by the liver and secreted into the circulation. Its synthesis increases in response to iron and inflammation and decreases in response to erythropoiesis.