Endocrine Abstracts

Hepcidin is a small circulating 25-amino-acid cysteine-rich peptide first identified in human blood and urine. The hepcidin gene is expressed mainly in the hepatocytes, secreted in the circulation and cleared by the kidney. In mammals, convincing evidence indicates that hepcidin constitutes the master regulator of iron homeostasis; the circulating peptide acts to limit gastrointestinal iron absorption and serum iron by inhibiting dietary intestinal iron absorption and iron rec...