Neuroprotective effect of erythropoetin in experimental cerebral ischemia

The presence of receptors for erythropoietin (EPO) on neurons and endothelial cells, its involvement in the embryogenesis of the nervous tissue suggests the EPO neuroprotective effect in the ischemic damage of the brain. The aim of the study was to investigate the EPO effect on the neurological status, microcirculation and morphology of the lesion focus in experimental cerebral ischemia (ECI). Materials and Methods. The study was performed on 70 nonlinear rats. ECI was modeled by the diathermocoagulation of the pial vessels in the sagittal suture projection between the fronto-parietal and parieto-occipital sutures. EPO was used at a dose of 5000 IU/kg with the interval of 3, 24 and 48 hours. The Garcia scale was used to assess the animals' neurological status. Microcirculation in the cerebral cortex tissues was determined by laser Doppler fluorimetry. The number of unmodified neurons, neurons with chromatolysis and shadow cells, and the number of small blood vessels were counted on the area unit in the brain sections in the ischemic damage focus. Results. In rats with ECI, the integral index of neurological status estimated by the Garcia scale decreases on days 1-3-7-14-30; the microcirculation index and the number of intact neurons decrease; the number of neurons with chromatolysis and shadow cells increases in the focus of the cerebral cortex lesion on days 7-14-30. The use of EPO in the total dose of 15.000 IU/kg results in partial recovery in 3-7 days, complete recovery of the neurological status in animals in 14-30 days, microcirculation restoration, growth of the number of intact neurons and small blood vessels, and decrease of neurons with chromatolysis and shadow cells in the ischemic focus in 7-14-30 days.