Does iron-deficiency anemia affect M1 macrophage activation and inflammation?

Abstract

Aim: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a prevalent disorder and may be a problem for various systems. Anemia of inflammation has been extensively investigated before, but there is still a lack of knowledge about macrophage activation in IDA. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between IDA and macrophage activation. Patients and Methods: The present study included 88 female subjects. The participants were divided into two groups: 48 IDA patients in the patient group and 40 healthy subjects in the control group. M1 macrophage activation was measured with the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1). TREM-1 levels and C-reactive protein were compared between patient and control groups. The relationship between TREM-1 levels and hemogram parameters and iron status was investigated. Results: TREM-1 levels of the patient group were significantly higher than of the control group [124.5 (6.8-770.5) pg/ml vs 48.5 (0.66-401.1) pg/ml, p=0.02], while CRP levels remained similar between the groups. There was no correlation between TREM-1 levels and hemoglobin, mean erythrocyte volume, ferritin, transferrin saturation and serum iron (p =0.96, 0.14, 0.21, 0.16, and 0.26, respectively) in IDA patients. Conclusion: The present study showed that IDA might increase TREM-1 levels and this condition might be a clue of macrophage activation. IDA patients should be considered in terms of pro-inflammatory conditions and further investigations are needed to clarify the association mentioned above.