Abstract
Background
Hepcidin, a key regulator of iron homeostasis, is associated with iron metabolism imbalance in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, serum hepcidin level in anemic patients with CKD presents a contradictory picture. We investigated the relationship between serum hepcidin-25 level and iron parameters in patients with CKD.
Methods
We defined and categorized patients with CKD according to the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) guidelines. We analyzed the relationship between serum hepcidin-25 level and iron parameters [serum iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), unbound iron-binding capacity (UIBC), transferrin saturation, and ferritin levels] according to the CKD stage and clinical and laboratory characteristics.
Results
Hb level, TIBC, and UIBC decreased and ferritin level increased (Ptrend<0.001) (stage 1-2, 28; stage 3, 40; stage 4, 36; stage 5, 42) as the CKD stage progressed. Serum hepcidin-25 level showed no significant trend with the progressing CKD stage [stage 1-2, 13.7 (3.7-25.0) ng/mL; stage 3, 14.0 (0.8-26.5) ng/mL; stage 4, 13.9 (2.0-32.1) ng/mL; stage 5, 13.8 (0.5-42.4) ng/mL; Ptrend=0.618]. No significant relationship was noted between serum hepcidin-25 level and kidney function parameters, Hb levels, or iron parameters (P>0.05).
Conclusions
Serum hepcidin-25 level was not found to be associated with iron parameters or clinical status of CKD patients in our study. Determination of hepcidin-25 levels may not provide more information than conventional iron parameters in monitoring iron metabolism in CKD patients. However, further studies are needed to establish the clinical utility of hepcidin measurement in CKD patients.
Figures and Tables
Table 1
Abbreviations: CKD, chronic kidney disease; GN, glomerulonephritis; ESA, erythropoiesis stimulating agent; ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; Cr, creatinine; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; Hb, hemoglobin; TIBC, total iron binding capacity; UIBC, unsaturated iron binding capacity; TSAT, transferrin saturation; N/A, not applicable.
Table 2
References
1. Ganz T. Hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism and mediator of anemia of inflammation. Blood. 2003; 102:783–788.
2. Park CH, Valore EV, Waring AJ, Ganz T. Hepcidin, a urinary antimicrobial peptide synthesized in the liver. J Biol Chem. 2001; 276:7806–7810.
3. Nemeth E, Tuttle MS, Powelson J, Vaughn MB, Donovan A, Ward DM, et al. Hepcidin regulates cellular iron efflux by binding to ferroportin and inducing its internalization. Science. 2004; 306:2090–2093.
4. Pigeon C, Ilyin G, Courselaud B, Leroyer P, Turlin B, Brissot P, et al. A new mouse liver-specific gene, encoding a protein homologous to human antimicrobial peptide hepcidin, is overexpressed during iron overload. J Biol Chem. 2001; 276:7811–7819.
5. Nemeth E, Valore EV, Territo M, Schiller G, Lichtenstein A, Ganz T. Hepcidin, a putative mediator of anemia of inflammation, is a type II acute-phase protein. Blood. 2003; 101:2461–2463.
6. Niihata K, Tomosugi N, Uehata T, Shoji T, Mitsumoto K, Shimizu M, et al. Serum hepcidin-25 levels predict the progression of renal anemia in patients with non-dialysis chronic kidney disease. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2012; 27:4378–4385. discussion 84-5
7. Uehata T, Tomosugi N, Shoji T, Sakaguchi Y, Suzuki A, Kaneko T, et al. Serum hepcidin-25 levels and anemia in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients: a cross-sectional study. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2012; 27:1076–1083.
8. Costa E, Swinkels DW, Laarakkers CM, Rocha-Pereira P, Rocha S, Reis F, et al. Hepcidin serum levels and resistance to recombinant human erythropoietin therapy in haemodialysis patients. Acta Haematol. 2009; 122:226–229.
9. Swinkels DW, Wetzels JF. Hepcidin: a new tool in the management of anaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease? Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2008; 23:2450–2453.
10. van der Putten K, Jie KE, van den Broek D, Kraaijenhagen RJ, Laarakkers C, Swinkels DW, et al. Hepcidin-25 is a marker of the response rather than resistance to exogenous erythropoietin in chronic kidney disease/chronic heart failure patients. Eur J Heart Fail. 2010; 12:943–950.
11. National Kidney Foundation. K/DOQI clinical practice guidelines for chronic kidney disease: evaluation, classification, and stratification. Am J Kidney Dis. 2002; 39:S1–S266.
12. Levey AS, Coresh J, Balk E, Kausz AT, Levin A, Steffes MW, et al. National Kidney Foundation practice guidelines for chronic kidney disease: evaluation, classification, and stratification. Ann Intern Med. 2003; 139:137–147.
13. Levey AS, Coresh J, Greene T, Stevens LA, Zhang YL, Hendriksen S, et al. Using standardized serum creatinine values in the modification of diet in renal disease study equation for estimating glomerular filtration rate. Ann Intern Med. 2006; 145:247–254.
14. KDIGO clinical practice guideline for anemia in chronic kidney disease. Kidney Int Suppl. 2012; 2:279–335.
15. Ashby DR, Gale DP, Busbridge M, Murphy KG, Duncan ND, Cairns TD, et al. Plasma hepcidin levels are elevated but responsive to erythropoietin therapy in renal disease. Kidney Int. 2009; 75:976–981.
16. Peters HP, Laarakkers CM, Swinkels DW, Wetzels JF. Serum hepcidin-25 levels in patients with chronic kidney disease are independent of glomerular filtration rate. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2010; 25:848–853.
17. Tessitore N, Girelli D, Campostrini N, Bedogna V, Pietro Solero G, Castagna A, et al. Hepcidin is not useful as a biomarker for iron needs in haemodialysis patients on maintenance erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2010; 25:3996–4002.
18. van der Weerd NC, Grooteman MP, Bots ML, van den Dorpel MA, den Hoedt CH, Mazairac AH, et al. Hepcidin-25 in chronic hemodialysis patients is related to residual kidney function and not to treatment with erythropoiesis stimulating agents. PLoS One. 2012; 7:e39783.
19. Weiss G, Theurl I, Eder S, Koppelstaetter C, Kurz K, Sonnweber T, et al. Serum hepcidin concentration in chronic haemodialysis patients: associations and effects of dialysis, iron and erythropoietin therapy. Eur J Clin Invest. 2009; 39:883–890.
20. Kuragano T, Shimonaka Y, Kida A, Furuta M, Nanami M, Otaki Y, et al. Determinants of hepcidin in patients on maintenance hemodialysis: role of inflammation. Am J Nephrol. 2010; 31:534–540.
21. Eschbach JW, Egrie JC, Downing MR, Browne JK, Adamson JW. Correction of the anemia of end-stage renal disease with recombinant human erythropoietin. Results of a combined phase I and II clinical trial. N Engl J Med. 1987; 316:73–78.
22. Goodnough LT, Nemeth E, Ganz T. Detection, evaluation, and management of iron-restricted erythropoiesis. Blood. 2010; 116:4754–4761.
23. Ashby DR, Gale DP, Busbridge M, Murphy KG, Duncan ND, Cairns TD, et al. Erythropoietin administration in humans causes a marked and prolonged reduction in circulating hepcidin. Haematologica. 2010; 95:505–508.
24. Zaritsky J, Young B, Wang HJ, Westerman M, Olbina G, Nemeth E, et al. Hepcidin--a potential novel biomarker for iron status in chronic kidney disease. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009; 4:1051–1056.
25. Kroot JJ, Kemna EH, Bansal SS, Busbridge M, Campostrini N, Girelli D, et al. Results of the first international round robin for the quantification of urinary and plasma hepcidin assays: need for standardization. Haematologica. 2009; 94:1748–1752.
26. Peslova G, Petrak J, Kuzelova K, Hrdy I, Halada P, Kuchel PW, et al. Hepcidin, the hormone of iron metabolism, is bound specifically to alpha-2-macroglobulin in blood. Blood. 2009; 113:6225–6236.
27. Kemna EH, Tjalsma H, Podust VN, Swinkels DW. Mass spectrometry-based hepcidin measurements in serum and urine: analytical aspects and clinical implications. Clin Chem. 2007; 53:620–628.
28. Ganz T, Olbina G, Girelli D, Nemeth E, Westerman M. Immunoassay for human serum hepcidin. Blood. 2008; 112:4292–4297.
29. Kroot JJ, Hendriks JC, Laarakkers CM, Klaver SM, Kemna EH, Tjalsma H, et al. (Pre)analytical imprecision, between-subject variability, and daily variations in serum and urine hepcidin: implications for clinical studies. Anal Biochem. 2009; 389:124–129.
30. Troutt JS, Rudling M, Persson L, Stahle L, Angelin B, Butterfield AM, et al. Circulating human hepcidin-25 concentrations display a diurnal rhythm, increase with prolonged fasting, and are reduced by growth hormone administration. Clin Chem. 2012; 58:1225–1232.