Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) is a glycoprotein. Recent studies have demonstrated that rhEPO regulates many functional activities of neural cells. 
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different concentrations of rhEPO on proliferation of neural stem cells (NSCs) cultured in vitro.
METHODS: Newborn Sprague-Dawley rat NSCs were harvested and cultured with serum-free culture medium containing different concentrations (5, 50, 500 U/mL) of rhEPO and 20 μg/L basic fibroblast growth factors (5, 50, and 500 U/mL rhEPO groups) and serum-free culture medium only containing 20 μg/L basic fibroblast growth factors (control group). After 7 days of culture, the cloning efficiency of NSCs was calculated. After 10 days of culture, neuron specific enolase (NSE)- and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-immunoreactive cells were quantified. 
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the rhEPO groups, cells proliferated rapidly, and the number of NSC microspheres was greater, in particular in the 50 U/mL rhEPO group, compared with the control group. NSCs grew faster in the 50 U/mL rhEPO group than in the control group. The number of NSE- and GFAP-immunoreactive cells was greater in the 50 U/mL rhEPO group than in the control group (P < 0.01). These findings suggest that rhEPO promotes the in vitro culture and proliferation of NSCs, in particular 50 U/mL rhEPO.