Hepcidin expression in patients with acute leukaemia.
BACKGROUND
Hepcidin plays a central role in iron homeostasis, which is regulated by iron stores, the rate of erythropoiesis, inflammation, and hypoxia. Aberrant expression of hepcidin was found in many diseases, however, there is scant information on hepcidin expression in acute leukemia (AL).


METHODS
32 patients with AL which diagnosis according to FAB criteria were studied. Serum hepcidin levels, erythropoietin (EPO), interleukin-6 (IL-6), hematological parameters, intracellular and extracellular iron store were evaluated.


RESULTS
Hepcidin was elevated significantly with increased iron storage in patients at onset of AL when erythropoiesis was depressed by blast cells, then decreased significantly with AL remission, while soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) concentration was elevated. Negative correlations were found between serum hepcidin and erythropoietic markers including RBC, Hb, Ret and sTfR. Positive correlations were shown between hepcidin and ferritin, between hepcidin and ratio of sideroblasts, as well as between hepcidin and IL-6.


CONCLUSIONS
Hepcidin production was regulated by iron stores, inflammation and erythropoietic activity in AL patients. Erythropoietic activity may play the main role among the regulators of hepcidin expresssion.
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College, Jining, Shandong, China.
Pan-Pan
PP
Cheng
Zhen-Zhen
ZZ
Sun
Fang
F
Jiang
Yue-Ting
YT
Tang
Xiao-Yang
XY
Jiao
D000328:Adult; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D004920:Erythropoiesis / Q000502:physiology*; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D064451:Hepcidins; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007938:Leukemia / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; C578702:HAMP protein, human; D064451:Hepcidins; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D014168:Transferrin; D004921:Erythropoietin; D005293:Ferritins