Effects of erythropoietin on blood-brain barrier disruption in focal cerebral ischemia

This study was performed to test whether systemically administered erythropoietin (EPO) could attenuate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption in focal ischemia. Rats were injected intraperitoneally with 2,500 IU/kg of recombinant human EPO or normal saline 24 h before middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. The transfer coefficient (Ki) of 14C-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid was determined to measure the degree of BBB disruption 1 h after MCA occlusion. In the control animals, the Ki of the ischemic cortex (IC) was significantly higher than that of the contralateral cortex (CC; +128%, p = 0.0002). In the EPO-treated animals, the Ki of the IC was not significantly different from that of the CC and was significantly lower (-44%, p = 0.003) than that of the control animals. Our data suggest that MCA occlusion increased BBB disruption, and the disruption was attenuated with EPO pretreatment.