Erythropoietin protects cardiac myocytes against anthracycline-induced apoptosis.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

The cardiotoxic adverse effects of anthracycline antibiotics limit their therapeutic utility as essential components of chemotherapy regimens for hematologic and solid malignancies. Here we show that the hematopoietic cytokine erythropoietin attenuates doxorubicin-induced apoptosis of primary neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Erythropoietin treatment induced rapid, time-dependent phosphorylation of MAP kinases (MAPK) Erk1/2 and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase substrate Akt. Treatment of cardiomyocytes with inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (LY294002) or Akt (Akti-1/2) abolished the protective effect of erythropoietin, whereas treatment with MAPK kinase (MEK1) inhibitor U0126 did not. Erythropoietin also induced the phosphorylation of GSK-3beta, a downstream target of PI3K-Akt. Because phosphorylation is known to inactivate GSK-3beta, we investigated whether GSK-3beta inhibition is cardioprotective. We found that GSK-3beta inhibitors SB216763 or lithium chloride blocked doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in a manner similar to erythropoietin, suggesting that GSK-3beta inhibition is involved in erythropoietin-mediated cardioprotection. Erythropoietin may serve as a novel cardioprotective agent against anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Fu, P; Arcasoy, MO

Published Date

  • March 9, 2007

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 354 / 2

Start / End Page

  • 372 - 378

PubMed ID

  • 17250809

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC1831847

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0006-291X

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.01.044

Language

  • eng

Conference Location

  • United States