IL-6 mediates hypoferremia of inflammation by inducing the synthesis of the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin.

Abstract

Hypoferremia is a common response to systemic infections or generalized inflammatory disorders. In mouse models, the development of hypoferremia during inflammation requires hepcidin, an iron regulatory peptide hormone produced in the liver, but the inflammatory signals that regulate hepcidin are largely unknown. Our studies in human liver cell cultures, mice, and human volunteers indicate that IL-6 is the necessary and sufficient cytokine for the induction of hepcidin during inflammation and that the IL-6-hepcidin axis is responsible for the hypoferremia of inflammation.

• Authors: Elizabeta Nemeth, Seth Rivera, Victoria Gabayan, Charlotte Keller, Sarah Taudorf, Bente K Pedersen, Tomas Ganz
• Journal: The Journal of clinical investigation (J Clin Invest) Vol. 113 Issue 9 Pg. 1271-6 (May 2004) ISSN: 0021-9738 [Print] United States
• PMID: 15124018 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
• HAMP protein, human
• Hamp protein, mouse
• Hepcidins
• Interleukin-6
• RNA, Messenger
• Iron

Topics

• Anemia (etiology)
• Animals
• Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides (biosynthesis, urine)
• Cell Line
• Cells, Cultured
• Gene Expression Regulation
• Hepatocytes (cytology)
• Hepcidins
• Humans
• Inflammation (complications, metabolism)
• Interleukin-6 (blood, metabolism)
• Iron (metabolism)
• Iron Metabolism Disorders (pathology)
• Kupffer Cells (cytology)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Mice, Knockout
• Monocytes (cytology)
• RNA, Messenger (genetics, metabolism)
• Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction