Investigation of the pronounced erythropoietin-induced reduction in hyperglycemia in type 1-like diabetic rats

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Erythropoietin (EPO) is known to stimulate erythropoiesis after binding with its specific receptor. In clinics, EPO is widely used in hemodialyzed patients with diabetes. However, changes in the expression of the erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) under diabetic conditions are still unclear. Therefore, we investigated EPOR expression both in vivo and in vitro. Streptozotocin-induced type 1-like diabetic rats (STZ rats) were used to evaluate the blood glucose-lowering effects of EPO. The expression and activity of the transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), the potential signaling molecule, was investigated in cultured rat skeletal myoblast (L6) cells incubated in high-glucose (HG) medium to mimic the in vivo changes. The EPO-induced reduction in hyperglycemia was more pronounced in diabetic rats. The increased EPOR expression in the soleus muscle of diabetic rats was reversed by the reduction in hyperglycemia. Glucose uptake was also increased in high-glucose (HG)-treated L6 cells. Western blotting results indicated that the EPO-induced hyperglycemic activity was enhanced mainly through an increase in EPOR expression. Increased EPOR expression was associated with the enhanced nuclear expression of STAT3 in HG-exposed L6 cells. In addition, treatment with siRNA specific to STAT3 reversed the increased expression of EPOR observed in these cells. Treatment with Stattic at a dose sufficient to inhibit STAT3 reduced the expression level of EPOR in STZ rats. In conclusion, the increased expression of EPOR by hyperglycemia is mainly associated with an augmented expression of nuclear STAT3, which was identified both in vivo and in vitro in the present study.