LCN2 and anemia (phenotype): Prior studies showed that LCN2 was a key factor in the regulation of erythrocyte growth due to its ability to inhibit the maturation of bone marrow erythroid precursors50 or inhibition of erythropoiesis through induction of apoptosis.50,51 However, we found that the role of LCN2 in anemia of CKD was limited.