Effects of recombinant human erythropoietin (SNB-5001) on renal anemic rats induced by drugs

Abstract

In order to investigate the clinical usage of SNB-5001 (recombinant human erythropoietin), two types of anemic models induced by drugs were prepared. One group of rats was intravenously injected with 8 mg/kg of cisplatin. These rats temporarily showed leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. Since 2 weeks after the cisplatin injection, rats chronically showed renal failure and moderate anemia. Another group was subcutaneously injected with 15 mg/kg of puromycin, 4 times a week, for 3 weeks. These rats showed hypercholesteremia and hypoalbuminemia, and they showed chronic renal failure and severe progressive anemia. Anemic rats received SNB-5001 (50 or 500 U/kg) once a day for 7 days. In the anemic rats induced by cisplatin, more than 50 U/kg of SNB-5001 dose-dependently increased reticulocytes, red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB) and hematocrits (HCT). SNB-5001 apparently improved the anemia induced by cisplatin. On the other hand, in anemic rats induced by puromycin, 50 U/kg of SNB-5001 increased reticulocytes, but did not increase RBC, HGB and HCT. SNB-5001 at the dose of 500 U/kg stopped the progress of anemia in puromycin treated rats. It was suggested that SNB-5001 is useful for the improvement of renal anemia induced by drugs, but the effects are affected by the uremic condition and the stage of renal anemia.