title: Beneficial effects of systemic administration of recombinant human erythropoietin in rabbits subjected to subarachnoid hemorrhage.
abstract: Cerebral vasospasm and ischemic damage are important causes of mortality and morbidity in patients affected by aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Recently, i.p. administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (r-Hu-EPO) has been shown to exert a neuroprotective effect during experimental SAH. The present study was conducted to evaluate further the effect of r-Hu-EPO administration after SAH in rabbits on neurological outcome, degree of basilar artery spasm, and magnitude of neuronal ischemic damage. Experimental animals were divided into six groups: group 1 (n = 8), control; group 2 (n = 8), control plus placebo; group 3 (n = 8), control plus r-Hu-EPO; group 4 (n = 8), SAH; group 5 (n = 8), SAH plus placebo; group 6 (n = 8), SAH plus r-Hu-EPO. r-Hu-EPO, at a dose of 1,000 units/kg, and placebo were injected i.p. starting 5 min after inducing SAH and followed by clinical and pathological assessment 72 h later. Systemic administration of r-Hu-EPO produced significant increases in cerebrospinal fluid EPO concentrations (P < 0.001), and reduced vasoconstriction of the basilar artery (P < 0.05), ischemic neuronal damage (P < 0.001), and subsequent neurological deterioration (P < 0.05). These observations suggest that r-Hu-EPO may provide an effective treatment to reduce the post-SAH morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy. giovanni.grasso@unime.it
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grasso
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buemi
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alafaci
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sfacteria
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Passalacqua
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sturiale
authors.forename: Gioacchino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Calapai
authors.forename: Gionata
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Vico
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piedimonte
authors.forename: Francesco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Salpietro
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomasello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D010477:Perfusion; D011817:Rabbits; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin