The melanoma-bearing mice develop anemia with iron-restricted erythropoiesis and inflammation.

<p>C57BL/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally with 0.1×10⁶–0.3×10⁶ B16-F10 cells, and euthanized after 14 days. The melanoma-bearing mice develop: (A) a significant anemia; (B) increased reticulocytosis compared to controls; (C) elevated zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) levels compared to controls, indicating iron-restricted heme synthesis; (D) increased levels of liver SAA-1 mRNA, a marker of inflammation and IL-6 activity; (E) lower levels of hepcidin mRNA. N = 8–11 mice per treatment and control group. *P<0.05, **P<0.001; P by Mann-Whitney rank sum test. Bars and error bars are median ±75^th/25^th percentile.