Jm. Hengemihle et al., CHRONIC TREATMENT WITH HUMAN RECOMBINANT ERYTHROPOIETIN INCREASES HEMATOCRIT AND IMPROVES WATER MAZE PERFORMANCE IN MICE, Physiology & behavior, 59(1), 1996, pp. 153-156
Erythropoietin is a glycoprotein produced endogenously in the kidney,
which stimulates red blood cell production. We evaluated the effects o
f chronic treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin alf
a: EPO) on the performance of 6-month-old male C57BL/6J mice in a spat
ial learning task, the Morris water maze. Mice were treated with eithe
r EPO (1.5 U injected SC every other day) or vehicle (PBS also injecte
d SC every other day). Results indicated that the treatment had no eff
ect on maze performance after 8 weeks, but after 19 weeks the EPO-trea
ted mice showed better performance compared to controls as measured by
mean distance (centimeters) to reach the goal platform. The improved
performance in EPO-treated mice at 19 weeks was accompanied by an incr
eased hematocrit. After 32 wk of EPO-treatment, the hematocrit returne
d to baseline levels even though the size and density of the red blood
cells were increased.