Serum prohepcidin reflects the degree of liver function impairment in liver cirrhosis

In the past few years the role of hepcidin metabolism disturbances, a recently described key regulator of iron metabolism, has been raised in patients with chronic liver diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the serum concentrations of prohepcidin in liver cirrhosis of various aetiologies and their possible relationship with the disease activity. Prohepcidin was measured in the sera of 70 patients with liver cirrhosis of various aetiologies by an immunoassay technique. The serum concentrations of prohepcidin were compared with the degree of liver insufficiency and biochemical markers of iron metabolism. A significant decrease in serum prohepcidin was observed in patients with liver cirrhosis compared with healthy individuals (52.6 +/- 1.9 vs 79.5 +/- 9.7 ng ml(-1), p < 0.01); this was most prominent in patients with hepatitis C virus and alcohol-related liver cirrhosis. The association between serum prohepcidin and the degree of liver dysfunction was observed in alcoholic liver cirrhosis, as illustrated through the inverse correlation with the Child-Pugh score (r= - 0.41, p < 0.01). In conclusion, serum prohepcidin concentration is lowered in liver cirrhosis, which at least to some extent, may be a result of impaired liver function.