Characterization of the erythropoietin/erythropoietin receptor axis in a rat model of liver damage and cholangiocarcinoma development.

ABSTRACT: It has been recently shown that the biological effects of erythropoietin (EPO) are not limited to the hematopoietic compartment but, as pleiotropic glycoprotein, this hormone can exert pro-angiogenic and tissue-protective functions also in a wide range of non-hematopoietic organs. The role of EPO and the effective functionality of its receptor in solid tumors are still a controversial point of debate. In the present work we analyzed the gene expression of EPO and its cognate receptor (EpoR) in a rat model of thioacetamide-induced damage and tumor. An analysis of the EPO/EpoR axis was also performed on human cholangiocarcinoma (CC) cell lines. A progressive increase of EPO and EpoR mRNA can already be observed during the fibrotic-cirrhotic development with a peak of expression rising at tum

SUBMITTER: Moriconi F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3573187 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature