Novel tissue remodelling roles for human recombinant erythropoietin

Coussons, P.J., Baig, S., Fanutti, C. and Grant, R. (2005) Novel tissue remodelling roles for human recombinant erythropoietin. Biochemical Society Transactions, 33(5), pp. 1129-1130. ISSN (print) 0300-5127

Abstract

rHuEPO (recombinant human erythropoietin) is a haemopoietic growth factor and a primary regulator of erythropoiesis that is used for the treatment of chronic anaemia associated with RA (rheumatoid arthritis). Erythropoietin also appears to modulate a broad array of cellular processes, including progenitor stem-cell development, cellular integrity, angiogenesis and oxidative damage. These diverse activities suggest the exciting possibility of multiple roles for rHuEPO therapy in a variety of disorders other than RA, including cerebral ischaemia, myocardial infarction, chronic congestive heart failure and cancer. Thus it appears that rHuEPO may be a pleiotropic agent, capable of influencing tissue remodelling independently of its established erythropoietic role. Whereas these effects may be largely beneficial, dose-related side effects could have implications for the safe therapeutic use of rHuEPO and its illegal use as a performance-enhancing agent in endurance sports.

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