Sustained-release erythropoietin ameliorates cardiac function in infarcted rat-heart without inducing polycythemia.
BACKGROUND
The usefulness of sustained-release erythropoietin for improving left ventricular (LV) function without polycythemia was evaluated in a rat chronic myocardial infarction model.


RESULTS
Four weeks after left coronary artery ligation, 50 Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to 5 groups (n=10, each). Control group had a gelatin sheet (20x20 mm) containing saline applied to the infarct area, whereas the 4 treatment groups had gelatin sheets incorporating erythropoietin 0.1 U, 1 U, 10 U and 100 U, respectively. Endpoint measurements performed at 8 weeks after the coronary ligation revealed that the fractional area change was larger for erythropoietin 1 U and 10 U than in the other 3 groups. The LV end-systolic elastance and the time constant of isovolumic relaxation were better for erythropoietin 1 U and 10 U than in the other 3 groups. The density of vessels larger than 50 microm in diameter was the highest in the erythropoietin 1 U group. The number of red blood cells was significantly increased in groups receiving erythropoietin 10 U and 100 U.


CONCLUSIONS
Gelatin hydrogel sheets incorporating 1 U erythropoietin improved LV function without inducing polycythemia in a rat chronic myocardial infarction model.
Lin
Xue
X
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
Fujita
Masatoshi
M
Kanemitsu
Naoki
N
Kimura
Yu
Y
Tambara
Keiichi
K
Premaratne
Goditha U
GU
Nagasawa
Atsushi
A
Ikeda
Tadashi
T
Tabata
Yasuhiko
Y
Komeda
Masashi
M
D000818:Animals; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004452:Echocardiography; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005780:Gelatin; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000187:drug effects; D011086:Polycythemia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects
D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004921:Erythropoietin; D005780:Gelatin