Erythropoietin (Epo) is a glycoprotein hormone that promotes the production of red blood cells. Recombinant human Epo (rhEpo) is illicitly used to improve performance in endurance sports. Doping in sports is discouraged by the screening of athletes for rhEpo. Both direct tests (indicating the presence of exogeneous Epo isoforms) and indirect tests (indicating hematological changes induced by ex...

BACKGROUND Acceleration of skin regeneration is still an unsolved problem in the clinical treatment of patients suffering from deep burns and scalds. Although erythropoietin (EPO) has a protective role in a wide range of organs and cells during ischemia and after trauma, it has been recently discovered that EPO is not tissue-protective in the common β subunit receptor (βCR) knockout mouse. The ...

Application of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) improves exercise capacity by stimulating red blood cell production that, in turn, enhances oxygen delivery and utilization. Apart from this, when applied at high doses, rhEpo crosses the blood-brain barrier, triggering protective neuronal effects. Here we show a fundamental new role by which the presence of Epo in the brain augments exerc...

To better understand the mechanism of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO)-induced increase in BP, hemodynamic parameters, body fluid volumes, and the hormones implicated in BP regulation were studied in 32 anemic hemodialysis patients before and after 3 to 4 mo of rhEPO therapy. Hemoglobin levels increased from 83 +/- 1.5 to 119 +/- 2.3 g/L (P < 0.01) after rhEPO therapy (25 to 43 U/kg) ad...

Erythropoietin (Epo) has been gaining great interest for its potential neuroprotective effect in various neurological insults. However, the molecular mechanism underlying how Epo exerts the function is not clear. Recent studies have indicated that Zn(2+) may have a key role in selective cell death in excitotoxicity after injury. In the present study, we studied the effect of recombinant human E...

BACKGROUND Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important cause of adult mortality and morbidity. Erythropoietin (Epo) has been shown to promote the viability of cerebral cells by upregulating Bcl-2 gene; however, Epo may exert its antiapoptotic effect via the differential regulation of the expression of genes involved in the apoptotic process. AIM The present study examined the neuroprotective...

Anemia is a common complication in hemodialysis (HD) patients, mainly due to the insuffi‐ cient production of erythropoietin (EPO) by the failing kidneys [1]. Anemia itself can worsens cardiac function, cognitive function, exercise capacity and quality of life, and it has been independently associated with increased mortality and progression of renal disease [2, 3]. A successful management of a...

Understanding the regulation of red blood cell production has been greatly enhanced by the cloning and expression of the gene for human erythropoietin (Epo) and its receptor. The availability of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) for administration to patients has ushered in a new era in molecular medicine. Intravenous or subcutaneous administration of rhEpo can reliably cure the anemia o...

BACKGROUND Local anesthetics offer the benefits of extended analgesia with greater patient satisfaction and faster rehabilitation compared with intravenous morphine. These benefits, however, can be offset by adverse iatrogenic muscle pain caused by bupivacaine. Here, the authors describe the mechanisms of local anesthetic-induced myotoxicity and a partial protective effect of recombinant human ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM Hemodialysis (HD) patients are exposed to persistent inflammatory state. Erythropoietin resistance is known to be strongly associated with chronic inflammation. Aim of the study was to analyze the effect of elevated inflammatory markers on hemoglobin levels and rhEPO requirements in stable patients of our hemodialysis center. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study population consis...