• nutrition
• mechanisms of disease

• Antibacterial
• Antibacterial mechanism
• Bordeaux mixture
• Composite materials
• Plant growth

• Humans
• Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry
• Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology
• Escherichia coli
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests
• Staphylococcus aureus
• X-Ray Diffraction
• Zinc Oxide/pharmacology
• Zinc Oxide/chemistry
• Plant Growth Regulators/chemistry
• Plant Growth Regulators/pharmacology
• Nanocomposites/chemistry

• 21JS002 the Key Research Projects of the Education Department of Shaanxi Province
• 20JS017 Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi Province
• 2023-JC-QN-0162 Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province
• 2022JQ-148 Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province
• 22JK0311 Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education
• SLGKYXM2208 the Fundamental Research Funds of Shaanxi University of Technology

• Agonists
• Antagonists
• Biosensor
• ELISA
• Hepcidin
• Mass spectrometry

Experimental and clinical data strongly support that iron is an essential element which plays a big role in cancer biology. Thus, hepcidin (Hp) and ferroportin (Fpn) are molecules that regulate and maintain the metabolism of iron. A peptide hormone hepcidin limits recycled and stored iron fluxes in macrophage and hepatic hepatocyte, respectively, to the blood stream by promoting degradation of the only iron exporter, Fpn, in the target cells. Moreover, the inflammatory microenvironment of breast cancer and altered hepcidin/ferroportin pathway is intimately linked. Breast cancer exhibits an iron seeking phenotype that is accomplished by tumor-associated macrophage (TAM). Because macrophages contribute to breast cancer growth and progression, this review will discuss TAM with an emphasis on describing how TAM (M2Ф phenotypic) interacts with their surrounding microenvironment and results in dysregulated Hp/Fpn and pathologic accumulation of iron as a hallmark of its malignant condition. Moreover, the underlying stroma or tumor microenvironment releases significant inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and bone morphogenetic proteins like BMP-2 and 6 leading in aberrant Hp/Fpn pathways in breast cancer. Inflammation is primarily associated with the high intracellular iron levels, deregulated hepcidin/ferroportin pathway, and its upstream signaling in breast cancer. Subsequently, scholars have been reported that reducing iron level and manipulating the signaling molecules involved in iron metabolism can be used as a promising strategy of tumor chemotherapy. Here, we review the key molecular aspects of iron metabolism and its regulatory mechanisms of the hepcidin/ferroportin pathways and its current therapeutic strategies in breast cancer.

• bone morphogenetic proteins
• breast cancer
• ferroportin
• hepcidin
• inflammation
• tumor-associated macrophage
• upstream signaling

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignancy of clonal plasma cells accounting for approximately 10% of haematological malignancies. MM mainly affects older patients, more often males and is more frequently seen in African Americans. The most frequent manifestations of MM are anaemia, osteolytic bone lesions, kidney failure and hypercalcemia. The anaemia develops secondary to suppression of erythropoiesis by cytokine networks, similarly to the mechanism of anaemia of chronic disease. The concomitant presence of kidney failure, especially chronic kidney disease (CKD) and MM per se, leading to anaemia of chronic disease (ACD) in combination, provoked us to pose the question about their reciprocal dependence and relationship with specific biomarkers; namely, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), hepcidin 25 and zonulin. One or more of these are new biomarkers of ferric management may be utilized in the near future as prognostic predictors for patients with MM and kidney failure.

• anaemia
• growth differentiation factor 15
• hepcidin
• kidney disease
• mieloma multiple
• soluble transferrin receptor
• zonulin

Iron-deficiency anemia is synonymous with oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF). The cause for the same has not been ascertained yet. OSMF by way of anemia of chronic disease could be a probable cause of iron deficiency.

This study was intended to evaluate the level of hemoglobin (Hb) in OSMF and to establish a relationship between serum hepcidin and Hb with OSMF, before and after oral supplementation of iron.

The clinical trial was registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2016/03/006761). Eighty participants were selected. Based on the hematocrit values, they were divided into equal number of case (Group I) and control (Group II). Serum hepcidin was evaluated in these eighty participants with clinically established OSMF. Participants in the case group with low hematocrit values indicative of iron-deficiency anemia were supplemented with oral iron capsules twice daily for 3 months. After an interval of 3 months, serum hepcidin and hematocrit were evaluated.

Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 11.5 (IBM, New York, USA). One-way ANOVA test was done to assess the correlation between Hb% and serum hepcidin. Unpaired t-test was done to correlate Hb% and hepcidin before and after oral supplementation of iron. Clinical significance was established by calculating the effect size.

There was a significant correlation between the values of serum hepcidin and Hb (P < 0.001) before and after oral supplementation of elemental iron. After oral supplementation of iron, hematocrit improved in Group I along with reduction in serum hepcidin.

It can be concluded that reduction of serum hepcidin is indicative of improvement in iron stores of body. Hence, serum hepcidin can be utilized as a diagnostic marker to assess iron stores in OSMF.

• Anemia
• hepcidin
• iron stores
• oral submucous fibrosis

• SLE
• biomarkers
• mass spectrometry
• proteomics
• systematic review
• systemic lupus erythematosus

• Biomarkers/metabolism
• Humans
• Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/metabolism
• Mass Spectrometry/methods
• Proteomics/methods

Hepcidin is a novel peptide hormone of hepatic origin. It has a crucial role in iron metabolism. The causative association of this peptide in anemia and iron overloading states has been well established. Current research has expanded the diagnostic implications of hepcidin in other medical conditions. Increased serum hepcidin has been reported in neoplastic diseases, inflammation, and sepsis. However, the clinical use of hepcidin as a biomarker is limited owing to nonavailability of an appropriate diagnostic test. Assays for serum and urine hepcidin estimation have been developed recently, which are likely to facilitate the use of hepcidin in research as well as in patient care in the near future.

• Biomarker
• hepcidin
• iron metabolism
• malignancy
• sepsis