Hepcidin与疾病关系和其临床意义的研究进展

铁是人体必需的微量元素，是血红蛋白、肌红蛋白及多种酶的重要组成成分，广泛地参与氧气输运、氧化还原反应、细胞增殖与分化、基因表达调控等基本生命过程。机体铁稳态对生命体新陈代谢的平衡起着至关重要的作用。铁稳态依赖铁吸收、转运和储存、再循环利用等代谢过程共同调节。铁调素（Hepcidin）是铁代谢调节中最关键的调节分子，成熟的铁调素是一个由25个氨基酸组成的功能性小肽类激素，可以通过调节小肠上皮细胞和巨噬细胞表面的相关铁转运蛋白来调控机体内铁的储存和利用。铁调素同时受到机体铁水平的反馈，免疫应答和红细胞生成等因素的共同调节。许多铁代谢疾病、炎症和各种原因引起的贫血与铁调素的异常表达相关。因此，对于铁调素的检测不但可以反映机体的铁代谢状况，结合其他临床指标还能够辅助诊断和有针对性地检测相关疾病的治疗效果。

Recent progress in diagnosis applications of hepcidin in human disorders

Iron is an essential trace element with the capacity to accept and donate electrons in some fundamental biochemical reactions. It is an indispensable component of cytochromes, oxygen-binding molecules （i.e., hemoglobin and myoglobin）, and many enzymes. Human iron homeostasis largely depends on the regulation of physiological processes of iron absorption, transportation and storage. Hepcidin, a 25-amino acid peptide hormonein mature form is produced by hepatocytes and the key regulator of iron metabolism. Hepcidin binds to the cellular iron exporter ferroportin located on the.membrane of intestinal enterocytes and macrophages and triggers internalization and degradation of ferroportin, which consequently suppresses iron uptake and recycling. Meanwhile, hepcidin can be regulated by the feedback of iron levels, immune response, erythropoiesis and other factors. Abnormal expression of hepcidin is involved in iron metabolism disorders, inflammation and anemia. Therefore, quantitative measurement of hepcidin in human biological fluids （such as serum and urine）, in combination with other clinical indices, can reflect the status of body iron metabolism, thus will assist diagnosing and treating diseases more precisely.