• Jian Zhang, Yun Zhu, Dai Zhou, Zhong Wang, and Gang Chen.
• Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
• Cytokine. 2010 Dec 1;52(3):252-7.

AbstractRecombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) has demonstrated beneficial effects against vasospasm and brain damage at the late stage of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH); however few investigations have been done about the effect of rhEPO on SAH-induced early brain injury (EBI) and also the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of rhEPO on the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and antioxidant responsive element (Nrf2-ARE) pathway and early brain injury in rats after SAH. Adult male SD rats were divided into four groups: (1) control group (n=18); (2) SAH group (n=18); (3) SAH+vehicle group (n=18); and (4) SAH+rhEPO group (n=18). The rat SAH model was induced by injection of 0.3 ml fresh arterial, non-heparinized blood into the prechiasmatic cistern in 20s. In SAH+rhEPO group, rhEPO was administered i.p. at 1000U/kg starting 5 min after the induction of SAH and repeated every 8h for 48 h. Brain samples were extracted at 48 h after SAH. As a result, we found that treatment with rhEPO markedly increased expressions of Nrf2-ARE pathway related agents, such as Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1), and glutathione S-transferase α-1 (GST-α1). Administration of rhEPO following SAH significantly ameliorated EBI, such as cortical apoptosis, brain edema, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) impairment. In conclusion, post-SAH rhEPO administration may attenuate EBI in this SAH model, possibly through activating Nrf2-ARE pathway and modulating cerebral oxidative stress by inducing antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes.Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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