Erythropoietin attenuates hyperoxia-induced lung injury by down-modulating inflammation in neonatal rats

This study was done to determine whether recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) treatment could attenuate hyperoxia-induced lung injury, and if so, whether this protective effect is mediated by the down-modulation of inflammation in neonatal rats. Newborn Sprague Dawley rat pups were subjected to 14 days of hyperoxia (>95% oxygen) within 10 hr after birth. Treatment with rhEPO significantly attenuated the mortality and reduced body weight gain caused by hyperoxia. With rhEPO treatment, given 3 unit/gm intraperitoneally at 4th, 5th, and 6th postnatal day, hyperoxia-induced alterations in lung pathology such as decreased radial alveolar count, increased mean linear intercept, and fibrosis were significantly improved, and the inflammatory changes such as myeloperoxidase activity and tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression were also significantly attenuated. In summary, rhEPO treatment significantly attenuated hyperoxia-induced lung injury by down-modulating the inflammatory responses in neonatal rats.