Erythropoietin and neuron apoptosis:Signal pathway / 中国药理学通报

Apoptosis is a main death pattern in many nervous system disease.Erythropoietin(Epo)has been originally characterized as the principal regulator of erythropoiesis by stimulating the proliferation and differentiation of erythroid precursor cells.In recent years,many experimental studies have shown that both Epo and EpoR(erythropoietin receptor)are functionally expressed in the nervous system and that this cytokine exerts a remarkable neuroprotection against nerve cell apoptosis.This article reviews neuroprotective of Epo against apoptosis and outline the involved molecular mechanisms.