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Serum hepcidin is significantly associated with iron absorption from food and supplemental sources in healthy young women

¹ From the Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca NY (MFY, JI, and KOO); Robert W Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Ithaca NY (RPG and MA-N); and the Intrinsic LifeSciences, LLC, La Jolla, CA (GO and MW).

² Supported by an agreement with Cornell University, Division of Nutritional Sciences, under USDA/CSREES 3995979 and 399410.

³ Address reprint requests and correspondence to KO O'Brien, Cornell University, Division of Nutritional Sciences, MVR 340, Ithaca, NY 14850. E-mail: koo4{at}cornell.edu.

Background: Hepcidin is a key regulator of iron homeostasis, but to date no studies have examined the effect of hepcidin on iron absorption in humans.

Objective: Our objective was to assess relations between both serum hepcidin and serum prohepcidin with nonheme-iron absorption in the presence and absence of food with the use of dual stable-iron-isotope techniques.

Design: The study group included 18 healthy nonpregnant women. Women received in random order a supplemental iron source (7.6 mg FeSO₄ providing 0.9 mg ⁵⁸Fe as FeSO₄) and 6.8 mg ⁵⁷Fe ferrous sulfate tracer administered with a nonheme food source [orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP): 1.4 mg native Fe]. Iron absorption was determined by analyzing blood samples taken 14 d after dosing with the use of magnetic sector thermal ionization mass spectrometry. Serum hepcidin was assessed by a new competitive serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) specific for the refolded, mature 25–amino acid form, and serum prohepcidin was assessed by an ELISA specific for amino acids 28–47 of the hepcidin prohormone.

Results: In these women, iron absorption averaged 14.71 ± 10.7% from the supplemental iron compared with 3.63 ± 6.5% from the OFSP. Absorption of nonheme iron assessed in the presence (P = 0.038) and absence (P = 0.0296) of food was significantly associated with serum hepcidin but was not significantly related to serum prohepcidin.

Conclusion: Serum hepcidin, but not prohepcidin, was inversely associated with iron absorption from supplemental and food-based nonheme-iron sources in iron-replete healthy women.

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Hepcidin compared with prohepcidin: an absorbing story

David M Frazer and Gregory J Anderson
AJCN 2009 89: 475-476. [Full Text]  

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				M. B Zimmermann, B. Troesch, R. Biebinger, I. Egli, C. Zeder, and R. F Hurrell Plasma hepcidin is a modest predictor of dietary iron bioavailability in humans, whereas oral iron loading, measured by stable-isotope appearance curves, increases plasma hepcidin Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, November 1, 2009; 90(5): 1280 - 1287. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. K. Bayele and S. K. S. Srai Genetic variation in hepcidin expression and its implications for phenotypic differences in iron metabolism Haematologica, September 1, 2009; 94(9): 1185 - 1188. [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. M Frazer and G. J Anderson Hepcidin compared with prohepcidin: an absorbing story Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, February 1, 2009; 89(2): 475 - 476. [Full Text] [PDF]