title: Effect of erythropoietin on liver regeneration in an experimental model of partial hepatectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The liver shows remarkable regeneration ability after damage or resection. The main stimulant for hepatic regeneration is resection. Erythropoietin (EPO), which was initially used for anemia therapy, is today known as a general tissue protector owing to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, and angiogenic properties. This study aims to investigate the effect of systemically administered EPO on liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight male Wistar albino rats were randomly split in two groups A and B consisting of 24 rats each. Standard 70% hepatectomy was performed on the rats in group A. The same surgical procedure was performed on the rats in group B, and they were additionally administered 3000 U/kg/subcutaneous EPO. The rats were sacrificed 24, 48, and 72 h after resection. The groups were compared in terms of biochemical, morphological, and histopathological parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The biochemical results showed that the administration of EPO decreased aspartate aminotransferase levels significantly (p < 0.05) at 24 h after hepatectomy. A comparison of the groups in terms of relative liver weight showed that EPO-treated groups exhibited a statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) for all three time periods. Histopathology results showed that in the EPO-treated groups, the mitosis index at 48 and 72 h, double nuclei cell number at 72 h, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen ratio at 48 h showed a significant increase (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that systemically administering high-dose EPO increases regeneration by affecting the biochemical, morphological, and histopathological parameters after liver resection.
authors.affiliation: Dicle University Medical Faculty, Department of General Surgery, Seyrantepe mevkii, 21280 Diyarbakir, Turkey. drmesutgull@gmail.com
authors.forename: Mesut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cömert
authors.forename: Güldeniz Karadeniz
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Çakmak
authors.forename: Gurkan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kertis
authors.forename: Ebru
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ugurbas
authors.forename: Muzaffer Onder
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Oner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D004921:Erythropoietin