hepcidin

H4E1P3C3I1D2I1N1

noun

A hormone produced by the liver that regulates iron homeostasis in mammals.

Scrabble 16

Meanings

nounhepcidin (usually uncountable, plural hepcidins)

plural hepcidins

  1. uncountableusuallyA hormone produced by the liver that regulates iron homeostasis in mammals.
    1 more example

    The known genetic defects of iron metabolism 14, 25, 26 frequently involve proteins that function as iron transporters/exporters (for example, ferroportin 18), as receptors for iron-binding proteins (for example, transferrin receptor 27 and hemochtomatosis 28), or to regulate the activity of these transporters or receptors (for example, hepcidin 29).

    2008 November 26, Masako Kohyama, Wataru Ise, Brian T. Edelson, Peter R. Wilker, Kai Hildner, Carlo Mejia, William A. Frazier, Theresa L. Murphy, Kenneth M. Murphy, “Role for Spi-C in the development of red pulp macrophages and splenic iron homeostasis”, in Nature, volume 457, number 7227, →DOI

Origin

From hep(ato)- (“liver”) + -cide (“killing”) + -in (“compound”), because of its origin and bacteria-killing properties.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Italian epcidina
  • epcidinaTranslations

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

hepcidin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hepcidin

MLA

“hepcidin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hepcidin. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hepcidin,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hepcidin.

Source: hepcidin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.