Effect of the antihepcidin Spiegelmer lexaptepid on inflammation-induced decrease in serum iron in humans.

The authors investigated whether lexaptepid, an anti-hepcidin nucleotide, prevented hypoferremia when compared to placebo in 24 male volunteers in whom experimental endotoxemia was induced by infusions of E. coli lipopolysaccharide.

While the lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response was similar in each cohort, at 9 hours after endotoxin administration serum iron increased by 15.9 ± 9.81 µmol/L from baseline in lexaptepid-treated subjects, compared with a decrease of 8.3 ± 9.0 µmol/L in controls.

This study supports the concept that this anti-hepcidin strategy can prevent the iron-sequestration effects mediated by hepcidin with improved utilisation of iron from intracellular stores, but not interfere with the inflammatory effects of cytokines.

– Lawrence Tim Goodnough

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