Age and gender dependent differences in BMP6 mediated hepcidin expression and iron homeostasis

Intestinal iron absorption is critical for normal iron balance, and it is regulated by hepcidin which is synthesized predominantly in the liver. Dysregulation of hepcidin production induces many iron related disorders, and increased (hepatic) iron levels have been shown to promote the progression of chronic liver diseases. Recently, we have shown that bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6) is the master endogenous regulator of hepcidin and that it is produced predominantly in the small intestine but not in the liver (Gastroenterology 2010; 138 (1): 372–82). We expanded these studies to a comparison between male and…