Liver disease due to alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (A1ATD) is associated with hepatic iron overload in a subgroup of patients. The underlying cause for this association is unknown. The aim of the present study was to define the genetics of this correlation and the effect of alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) on the expression of the iron hormone hepcidin. Full exome and candidate gene sequencing were ...

This study investigated the effect of tucum-do-cerrado consumption in the oxidative status of iron-supplemented rats. Four groups of rats were treated: Control (AIN-93G), Tuc (AIN-93G added of tucum-do-cerrado), Fe (AIN-93G iron-enriched), or TucFe (AIN-93G with tucum-do-cerrado and iron-enriched) diet, for 30 days. Iron-enriched diet increased serum, liver, spleen, and intestine iron levels; t...

The liver plays a central role in iron metabolism. It is the major storage site for iron and also expresses a complex range of molecules which are involved in iron transport and regulation of iron homeostasis. An increasing number of genes associated with hepatic iron transport or regulation have been identified. These include transferrin receptors (TFR1 and 2), a ferrireductase (STEAP3), the t...

Humans possess elegant control mechanisms to maintain iron homeostasis by coordinately regulating iron absorption, iron recycling, and mobilization of stored iron. Dietary iron absorption is regulated locally by hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) signaling and iron-regulatory proteins (IRPs) in enterocytes and systematically by hepatic hepcidin, the central iron regulatory hormone. Hepcidin not onl...

Background: Iron absorption increases during pregnancy to cater for the increased iron requirements of the growing fetus. Aims: To investigate the role of the duodenal iron transport molecules and hepatic regulatory molecules in coordinating the changes in iron absorption observed during pregnancy. Methods: Rats at various days of gestation and 24–48 hours post-partum were examined for hepatic ...

Background: Iron extra load is an anticipated and lethal consequence of chronic blood transfusion in major beta-thalassemia patients; therefore it is necessary to use an efficient iron chelator drug to stimulate the evacuation of the surplus iron from the body. This trial was performed to compare myocardial and hepatic magnetic resonance imaging T2 (MRI T2*) results of beta-thalassemia patients...

To identify the role of iron overload in the natural history of liver fibrosis, we reviewed serial hepatic biopsy specimens taken annually from patients cured of thalassemia major by bone marrow transplantation. The patients underwent transplantation between 1983 and 1989 and did not receive any chelation or antiviral therapy. Two hundred eleven patients (mean age, 8.7 +/- 4 years) were evaluat...

BACKGROUND/AIMS A study was undertaken of liver biopsy samples from 229 consecutive patients with alcoholic or hepatitis C virus related cirrhosis who were prospectively followed until January 1996 to evaluate the influence of liver iron content on survival and the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS Hepatic iron content was measured with a validated semiquantitative score, and it...

Increased IL-6 production induces, via STAT3 phosphorylation, hepatic transcription of the gene encoding the iron-regulatory hormone, hepcidin, leading to development of anemia of chronic disease (ACD). Inhibition of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling prevents the induction of hepcidin gene expression by IL-6 and ameliorates ACD. Using mice with hepatocyte-specific deficiency of Alk2 or...

Steatosis hepatis functions as an inducer of hepatic iron metabolism dysregulation. MR two-point Dixon T1w imaging with subsequent comprehensive four-phase decomposition analysis facilitated not only metabolite decomposition of intrahepatic lipids and iron ions in steatosis hepatis and hepatic iron overload, but also allowed decomposition of metabolites in combined disease in an in-vivo patient...