Biotechnological Biomedical Centre, University of Leipzig, Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BBZ), Department of Cell Technology and Applied Stem Cell Biology, Deutscher Platz 5, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Mini Rev Med Chem. 2011 Aug;11(9):763-70. doi: 10.2174/138955711796355267.
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a complex process which leads to destruction of neuronal tissue and also vascular structure. After SCI many potentially toxic substances are activated and released into the injury site causing secondary degeneration. Erythropoietin (EPO) is a possible therapeutic strategy to treat SCI. Over the last decade attention has been focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying its neuroprotective effects. A major concern expressed by clinicians is that besides its protective effects, EPO also demonstrates hematopoietic activity and increases the risk for thrombosis after the administration of multiple doses of this glycoprotein. Recently, tissue protective functions of EPO have been separated from its hematopoietic actions leading to the development of EPO derivatives and mimetics. Neuroscientists are focusing on recombinant human EPO (rhEPO) and its non-erythropoietic derivatives, investigating their anti-apoptotic potential and anti-inflammatory function as well as their role in restoring vascular integrity. Carbamylated erythropoietin (CEPO) and asialo erythropoietin (AsialoEPO) are structural derivatives of EPO that have no effect on erythrocyte mass whereas they retained its neuroprotective effects. In this review article, we provide a short overview of the animal studies on rhEPO and its derivatives in experimental models of SCI. Both the efficacy and the safety profile of EPO-structural and functional variants are still to be demonstrated in patients. Further clinical studies should reveal whether derivatives and variants of erythropoietin provide any benefits over the use of rhEPO in the treatment of spinal cord injury observed in the experimental studies.
脊髓损伤（SCI）是一个复杂的过程，导致神经元组织和血管结构的破坏。SCI 后，许多潜在的毒性物质被激活并释放到损伤部位，导致继发性退化。促红细胞生成素（EPO）是治疗 SCI 的一种可能的治疗策略。在过去的十年中，人们一直关注其神经保护作用的分子机制。临床医生主要关注的是，除了其保护作用外，EPO 还具有造血活性，并在多次给药后增加血栓形成的风险。最近，EPO 的组织保护功能与其造血作用分离，导致 EPO 衍生物和类似物的开发。神经科学家专注于重组人促红细胞生成素（rhEPO）及其非红细胞生成素衍生物，研究其抗凋亡潜力和抗炎功能，以及在恢复血管完整性方面的作用。氨基甲酰化促红细胞生成素（CEPO）和去唾液酸促红细胞生成素（AsialoEPO）是 EPO 的结构衍生物，对红细胞质量没有影响，但保留了其神经保护作用。在这篇综述文章中，我们提供了 rhEPO 及其衍生物在 SCI 实验模型中的动物研究的简要概述。EPO 结构和功能变体的疗效和安全性仍有待在患者中证明。进一步的临床研究应该揭示促红细胞生成素衍生物和变体是否在治疗脊髓损伤方面提供了任何益处，与实验研究中观察到的 rhEPO 的使用相比。
