Hepcidin is a 25-aminoacid cysteine-rich iron regulating peptide. Hepcidin quantification in human serum provides new topics for the pathogenesis of disorders of iron homeostasis and its treatment. This study describes ELISA immunoassay for hepcidin quantification in human serum in chronic dialysis patients. We use a sandwich ELISA method to quantificate serum hepcidin levels in healthy control group (n=55) and patients on chronic dialysis (n=32). Including criteria for control group was no evidence of iron metabolism disorders. The sandwich ELISA was highly specific for hepcidin-25. We found that serum hepcidin levels correlate significantly between two groups 13.1 ± 8.7 µg/L to 262.5 ± 53.5 µg/L. Ferritin levels and hemoglobin concentration in reticulocytes correlated significantly to serum hepcidin levels (0.3 < r < 0.5, P < 0.001). Transferrine levels showed negative and no significant correlation to hepcidin in serum (r = -0.111). The use of 2 monoclonal antibodies in a sandwich ELISA format provides a reliable, reproducible and not very expensive method for measuring serum concentrations of the bioactive form of hepcidin in Bulgarian laboratory practice.
 

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