ABSTRACT
To study the effect of erythropoietin [EPO] treatment on renal and lung injury following renal ischemia/re-perfusion [I/R]. Thirty male Wistar rats were assigned to three groups of 10 rats each. The first group was sham-operated, the second was subjected to renal I/R [30 min of ischemia followed by 24 h of reperfusion]. The third group was subjected to renal I/R and treated with EPO in two doses: the first dose 1 h prior to ischemia [1,000 U/kg] and the second dose 6 h after ischemia [1,000 U/kg]. The renal and lung tissue injury index, tissue serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine [Cr] were higher in the renal I/R group compared to the renal I/R + EPO group; the difference was statistically significant [p < 0.05]. Kidney and lung tissue glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase levels were higher in the renal I/R + EPO group than the renal I/R group; the difference was also statistically significant [p < 0.05]. The data showed that EPO pretreatment could be effective in reducing renal and lung injury following renal I/R and could improve the cellular antioxidant defense system. Hence EPO pretreatment may be effective for attenuating renal and lung injury after renal I/R-induced injury during surgical procedures, hypotension, renal transplantation and other conditions inducing renal I/R