title: Is hemojuvelin a possible new player in iron metabolism in hemodialysis patients?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hemojuvelin (HJV) is highly expressed in the liver, skeletal muscles, and heart, seems to play a role in iron absorption and release from cells, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, HJV plays an essential role in the regulation of hepcidin expression, specifically in the iron-sensing pathway. Hepcidin has emerged as a key regulator of iron homeostasis. In this study we tested for the first time the hypothesis that HJV is related to iron metabolism in hemodialysis (HD) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Iron status, complete blood count, and serum creatinine, albumin, and lipids were assessed, using standard laboratory methods. Serum levels of soluble transferrin receptor (sTFR), high-sensitivity CRP, IL-6, hepcidin, and HJV were measured using commercially available kits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum HJV, hepcidin, ferritin, IL-6, hsCRP, and serum creatinine were significantly higher (all P<0.001), whereas serum iron, sTFR, transferrin, hemoglobin, and erythrocyte count were significantly lower in HD patients, compared to healthy volunteers (all P<0.001). In univariate analysis, HJV was strongly correlated (P<0.001) with ferritin, transferrin saturation, and TIBC, as well as with hsCRP, hepcidin, Kt/V (P<0.01) and residual renal function, the presence of diabetes, APKD, and coronary heart disease. Predictors of HJV level in multiple regression analysis were ferritin (beta value was 0.50, P=0.00004) and transferrin saturation (beta value was 0.47, P=0.0002), explaining 81% of the HJV variations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum HJV is elevated in HD patients and related predominantly to kidney function and iron metabolism. However, HJV is probably not correlated to inflammation. HJV appears to be a new player in iron metabolism in these patients.
authors: Department of Nephrology and Transplantology, Medical University, Bialystok, Poland. jolmal@poczta.onet.pl
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Malyszko
authors: J S
authors: JS
authors: Malyszko
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Levin-Iaina
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Koc-Zorawska
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Kozminski
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Mysliwiec
mesh_terms: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D000071020:Hemochromatosis Protein; D064451:Hepcidins; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; C578702:HAMP protein, human; C481006:HJV protein, human; D000071020:Hemochromatosis Protein; D064451:Hepcidins; D007501:Iron