Serum prohepcidin levels in chronic hepatitis C, alcoholic liver disease, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
10.3350/kjhep.2010.16.3.288
- Author:
Sang Hyub LEE
1
;
Sook Hyang JEONG
;
Young Soo PARK
;
Jin Hyeok HWANG
;
Jin Wook KIM
;
Nayoung KIM
;
Dong Ho LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea. jsh@snubh.org
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords:
Prohepcidin;
Hepatitis C;
Fatty liver;
Alcohol;
IL-6
- MeSH:
Adult;
Aged;
Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides/*blood/physiology;
Fatty Liver/blood/diagnosis;
Female;
Ferritins/blood;
Hepatitis C, Chronic/*blood/diagnosis;
Humans;
Interleukin-6/blood;
Iron/blood;
Liver Diseases, Alcoholic/*blood/diagnosis;
Male;
Middle Aged;
Protein Precur
- From:The Korean Journal of Hepatology
2010;16(3):288-294
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Patients with various chronic liver diseases frequently have increased body iron stores. Prohepcidin is an easily measurable precursor of hepcidin, which is a key regulator of iron homeostasis. This study investigated the serum prohepcidin levels in patients with various chronic liver diseases with various etiologies. METHODS: Serum prohepcidin levels were measured in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CH-C) (n=28), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (n=24), and alcoholic liver disease (ALD) (n=22), and in healthy controls (n=25) using commercial ELISA. Serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels and blood iron indices were also measured. RESULTS: The serum levels of both prohepcidin and IL-6 were significantly higher in CH-C patients than in healthy controls, and there was a positive correlation between the IL-6 and prohepcidin levels (r=0.505, p=0.020). The prohepcidin levels in ALD patients did not differ from those in controls, despite their significantly elevated IL-6 levels. There was a tendency for a negative correlation between serum prohepcidin levels and transferrin saturation in ALD patients (r=-0.420, p=0.051). Neither prohepcidin nor IL-6 was significantly elevated in the NAFLD group, despite the presence of elevated serum iron and ferritin levels. CONCLUSIONS: The role of prohepcidin may differ in different human liver diseases. In the setting of CH-C, both the serum prohepcidin and IL-6 levels were significantly elevated and were positively correlated with each other.
