Effects of iron deficiency anemia and its treatment on ghrelin, obestatin and heat shock protein 70

Iron deficiency anemia is a commonly encountered problem in the worldwide. Anemia is defined as hemoglobin (Hb) concentration below- two standart deviations of the age- and sex- specific normal values. Nutrition plays an important role in the development of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) which is the most common cause of nutritional anemia.In this study, we investigated effects of iron deficiency anemia itself and its oral treatment on ghrelin which has stimulation effect on food intake and antioxidant effect, and obestatin which has opposite effects to ghrelin, and heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70) which increases in some tissue stress conditions.28 cases diagnosed as IDA group and 28 cases as healthy control group were included this study. Acyl ghreline levels were found as 59.3±19 pg/ml before the treatment and as 80.8±25.7 pg/ml after the treatment in the IDA group, as 72.9±22.6 pg/ml in control group. Deacyl ghrelin levels were found as 573.9±182 pg/ml before the treatment, as 819±257.4 pg/ml after the treatment in study group, and as 730±235 pg/ml in control group. In pre-and post-treatment periods, both levels of acyl and deacyl were found as significantly lower compared with control group (p<0.005). Levels of obestatin were found as 9.5±4.7 ng/ml before the treatment, as 6.8±3.4 ng/ml after the treatment in study group, and 6.0±2.3 ng/ml in control group. Pre-treatment plasma level of obestatin was found higher than post-treatment and control groups. This difference was found as sitatistically significant (p<0.005). Levels of heat shock protein 70 were found as 0.46±0.25 pg/ml before the treatment, as 0.50±0.3 pg/ml after the treatment in study group, and 0.38 ±0.15 pg/ml in control group. This difference was not found statistically significant.Because ghrelin known to stimulate food intake has low levels in nutritional anemia such as IDA, it could be considered as among the reasons of IDA. Due to obestatin level significantly decreased after the treatment, we considered that its effect on the satiety center was decreased and by opposite effect of ghreline to obestatin was increased on the satiety center and then this effect went ahead. HSP 70 which?s secretion inducted by ghrelin and concentration increased in stress situations did not show significant changes between pre- and post- treatment of the cases diagnosed as IDA and control group. This was considered related to low ghrelin level and low body temperature. Our findings showed that low ghrelin levels and high obestatin levels might play a role in the development of IDA.Key Words: Iron deficiency anemia, ghrelin, obstatin, heat shock protein 70.