Serum pro-hepcidin levels in term and preterm newborns with sepsis

Background:  An iron regulatory peptide hormone, hepcidin, is also part of the innate immune system and is strongly induced during infections and inflammation. The aim of the present study was to determine serum levels of the 60 aa pro-hormone form of hepcidin (pro-hepcidin) in full-term and preterm newborns with sepsis and to determine the possible relationships between pro-hepcidin levels and serum iron and complete blood count parameters.
Methods:  Fifteen preterm newborns with sepsis, 17 healthy preterm, six full-term newborns with sepsis and 16 healthy full-term newborns were included the study. Blood samples were collected from patients with sepsis at the time of clinical diagnosis. Each blood sample was analyzed for complete blood count, serum iron and ferritin concentrations, iron-binding capacity, and pro-hepcidin level.
Results:  The mean serum pro-hepcidin level (mean ± SD) in preterm neonates with sepsis and in healthy preterm newborns was 565.4 ± 519.5 ng/mL and 279.8 ± 227.6 ng/mL, respectively ( P <  0.05). The mean serum pro-hepcidin level in full-term newborns with sepsis and in healthy full-term neonates was 981.4 ± 415.4 ng/mL and 482 ± 371.9 ng/mL, respectively ( P <  0.05). Although the mean serum ferritin levels in the two groups with sepsis were higher when compared with the healthy groups, the difference was not statistically significant in full-term newborns. No statistically significant correlations were found between serum pro-hepcidin levels and any other parameters in each group.
Conclusions:  Serum pro-hepcidin levels were higher in newborns with sepsis (either premature or full-term) than they were in healthy newborns at the time of clinical diagnosis.     

Serum Pro-hepcidin Levels in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Hepcidin is a principal iron regulatory hormone and its expression is stimulated by cytokines. The aim of this study was to determine serum levels of the prohormone form of hepcidin, pro-hepcidin, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study included 72 RA and 28 SLE patients and 33 healthy controls (HC). Serum iron status, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6 and pro-hepcidin levels were determined. Pro-hepcidin levels in the RA group was higher than SLE and HC groups (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, respectively). Pro-hepcidin levels did not correlate with disease activity scores, cytokine levels and serum iron status in the RA and SLE groups, while it correlated with TNF-alpha, IL-6 and ferritin levels in the HC group (r = 0.459, p < 0.01, r = 0.374, p < 0.05, r = -0.603, p < 0.01, respectively). Pro-hepcidin levels show extremely wide variations within the groups as do iron status and cytokines. Despite these wide variations correlation analysis do not reveal anything.