A hormone that is a key regulator of iron balance. During inflammation and/or infection, hepcidin- levels rise as do macrophage iron levels. Low levels of this hormone are associated with anemia, hypoxia, iron deficiency, and blood loss. Hepcidin acts by binding ferroportin on the plasma membranes, causing ferroportin to be internalized and degraded. Hepcidindeficiency seems to be the basis for hemochromatosis. Plasma hepcidin levels significantly predict interindividual iron absorption.
A protein secreted by the liver that acts as a regulatory hormone that controls the amount of iron in the body. Elevated levels of hepcidin in the blood prevent iron from being taken up by red blood cells. Hepcidin levels rise in many chronic illnesses and infections, causing the anemia of chronic disease. Proteins that block the action of hepcidin result, by contrast, in iron overload diseases such as hemochromatosis.