[The effect of alcohol on the regulation of iron metabolism].

Chronic alcohol consumption increases body iron stores. Patients with alcoholic liver disease frequently exhibit iron overload, but mechanisms of its accumulation remain unclear. Many novel iron-regulatory proteins have been identified for several last years, which have improved understanding the underlying some mechanisms of iron overload in alcoholic liver disease. In this paper, the effect of alcohol on hepcidin expression which is a key hormone in the regulation of iron metabolism has been given. Hepcidin regulates of iron metabolism by inhibiting intestinal iron absorption and the release of iron from macrophages. Alcohol was found to down-regulate hepcidin expression in the liver leading to elevated expression of the iron transporter proteins, DMT1 and ferroportin in the duodenum. Ethanol-mediated oxidative stress inhibits C/EBPaz DNA-binding activity and down-regulates hepcidin transcription in the liver. Deregulation of the hormone synthesis may be one of the causes of iron overload during chronic alcohol consumption.