Erythropoietin

The use of Epo in medical practice is increasing constantly. It has revolutionized how we think of blood transfusion in medicine and surgery. Moreover, it has become widely known to scientists, physicians, biotech and pharmaceutical executives and the general public. Additionally, the past ten years have seen important advances in our knowledge and understanding of its action both within and outside of the hematopoietic system. Until now, there has been no single source that contains up-to-date information on Epo addressing the array of subjects that this book presents. The book covers all aspects from developmental biology to specific topics such as medical applications of recombinant Epo, receptor biology, mechanisms of Epo activity, structure/activity relationship, disease states and important actions on non-hematopoietic organs and tissues, including the central nervous system, heart, gastrointestinal tract, reproductive organs and endothelium.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a chemokine hormone that is widely distributed throughout the body. In addition to its traditional role as a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production, in recent years many laboratories have shown that EPO can act as a neuroprotective compound in a variety of injury paradigms in the nervous system. Past experience with relatively safety profile of this FDA-approved drug makes it an ideal candidate to take it into clinical trials for neuroprotection. We are on the verge of major clinical trials using this drug for neuroprotection in diseases ranging from stroke, to transverse myelitis to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. This is the first book of its kind that brings together researchers from many different disciplines of neuroscience to review the current state-of-the-art in EPO and the nervous system. This book will benefit scientists and clinicians interested in neuroprotection in the broadest sense.

Anemia is a frequent complication of cancer and its treatment. A number of clinical studies shows that the impact of anemia is much greater than previously thought. Beyond clinical symptoms, anemia significantly impairs physical and metabolic functions as well as patients' activity, well-being and quality of life. Life expectancy is also affected. In this book, written by a group of outstanding international experts, the current knowledge on anemia in cancer and its treatment with rhEPO is presented. Future developments are also discussed. Based on a broad spectrum of topics, the book describes the scientific and clinical aspects of anemia in various fields of oncology and gives diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations on when and how to use rhEPO.

Erythropoietin, Volume 105, the latest release in the Vitamins and Hormones series first published in 1943, and the longest-running serial published by Academic Press, provides up-to-date information on crystal structures and basic structural studies on neurotrophins and their receptors, neurotrophin functions and the biological actions of neurotrophins related to clinical conditions and disease. Topics covered in this new volume include Erythropoietin Receptor Structural Domains, Analysis of the Asymmetry of Activated EPO Receptor Enables Designing Small Molecule Agonists, Endogenous Erythropoietin, Erythropoietin Receptor Signaling and Lipid Rafts, and Erythropoietin and Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis. Each thoroughly reviewed volume focuses on a single molecule or disease that is related to vitamins or hormones, with the topic broadly interpreted to include related substances, such as transmitters, cytokines, growth factors and others. This volume documents the activities of this vital molecule, also describing the structure and function of erythropoietin and its receptor. Presents the latest information on erythropoietin Provides a long-running series that focuses on updates and advances in vitamins and hormones Covers single molecules or diseases that are related to vitamins or hormones, with the topic broadly interpreted to include related substances

The book contains a series of up-to-date review articles on the physiology and pathophysiology of the control of the production of red cells by the hormone erythropoietin. In addition, the results are reported of initial clinical trials using recombinant human erythropoietin (rhuEpo) in the treatment of the anemia of renal failure. The introductory chapter briefly recalls the history of erythropoietin research. The following section on the chemistry and physiology covers details of the structure of the hormone, assay methods, the identification of renal and extrarenal sites of the production of erythropoietin by in situ hybridization and the hypoxic stimulation of its production. A special chapter is devoted to the regulation of erythropoiesis in the neonatal period. There follows a section on pathophysiology, which includes respiratory, renal and malignant diseases in humans. In the final section the pharmacology of rhuEpo is considered. The strategy of the cloning and in vitro expression of the erythropoietin gene is described. Four chapters summarize clinical observations of the effects of rhuEpo in the correction of the anemia of renal failure, including the rise in hematocrit, blood viscosity and possibly hypertension, and the increased physical work capacity of the patients. The monograph will prove useful not only to investigators working in the basic fields of physiology, pharmacology and endocrinology, but also to practising physicians, especially hematologists and nephrologists, who are interested in erythropoietin for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

The book contains a series of about 40 articles reflecting the state-of-the-art of the topic "Pathophysiology and Pharmacology of Erythropoietin". Results from both basic research and clinical studies are described in detail. The papers show that the possible therapeutic spectrum of erythropoietin could be expanded considerably when compared with the present situation.