title: Serum pro-hepcidin levels in rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: Hepcidin is a principal iron regulatory hormone and its expression is stimulated by cytokines. The aim of this study was to determine serum levels of the prohormone form of hepcidin, pro-hepcidin, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study included 72 RA and 28 SLE patients and 33 healthy controls (HC). Serum iron status, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6 and pro-hepcidin levels were determined. Pro-hepcidin levels in the RA group was higher than SLE and HC groups (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, respectively). Pro-hepcidin levels did not correlate with disease activity scores, cytokine levels and serum iron status in the RA and SLE groups, while it correlated with TNF-alpha, IL-6 and ferritin levels in the HC group (r = 0.459, p < 0.01, r = 0.374, p < 0.05, r = -0.603, p < 0.01, respectively). Pro-hepcidin levels show extremely wide variations within the groups as do iron status and cytokines. Despite these wide variations correlation analysis do not reveal anything.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Firat University, Elazig, Turkey. kocassk@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Suleyman Serdar
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Koca
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Isik
authors.forename: Bilal
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ustundag
authors.forename: Kerem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Metin
authors.forename: Kader
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aksoy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D064451:Hepcidins; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D015415:Biomarkers; D064451:Hepcidins; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D011498:Protein Precursors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron