title: Erythropoietin reduces acute lung injury and multiple organ failure/dysfunction associated to a scald-burn inflammatory injury in the rat.
abstract: Erythropoietin (EPO) is an endogenous regulator of erythropoiesis and is given exogenously as a replacement therapy for selected red blood cell disorders. In the past years, EPO has been emerging as a multifunctional, cytoprotective cytokine with anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. We aimed to evaluate the cytoprotective effect of rhEPO (recombinant human EPO) treatment on a rat model of multiorgan dysfunction induced by thermal injury. rhEPO was administered at 1000 U/kg (i.v.) 5 min prior to induction of injury and significantly reduced multiorgan dysfunction markers (liver, kidney, lung, serum cytokine levels). In the lung, rhEPO reduced: histological signs of tissue injury, inflammatory/injury markers on the bronchoalveolar fluid, neutrophil chemotaxis/infiltration, GSK-3β activation, and apoptosis. Our study showed that erythropoietin has the potential to exhibit pleiotropic cytoprotective effects and that it might be an interesting pharmacological strategy in the modulation of acute lung injury, such as the one associated to severe burn.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Avenida Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Joao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eduardo-Figueira
authors.forename: Andreia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barateiro
authors.forename: Adelaide
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Dora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brites
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.forename: Eduarda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Helder
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mota-Filipe
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sepodes
mesh_terms: D055371:Acute Lung Injury / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016897:Respiratory Burst / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa