Blood, 1960, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 1411-1423.
© 1960 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Erythropoietic Response to Anemia or Erythropoietin
Injection in Uremic Rats With or Without
Functioning Renal Tissue
KURT R. REISSMANN 1,
TAKEO NOMURA 1,
RICHARD W. GUNN 1, and
FRANK BROSIUS 1
1 Section of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of
Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kans.
Ureter-ligated rats, whose blood urea nitrogen concentration equalled
that of nephrectomized animals, responded nearly like normal controls to
bleeding or phenylhydrazine anemia, and erythropoietin was demonstrated
in their plasma. This eliminates the urea retention as a depressing factor of
erythropoiesis in uremia.
Bilaterally nephrectomized or mercury-bichloride poisoned rats did not
respond significantly to anemic stimuli. No erythropoietin was found in the
plasma of bled or phenylhydrazine-poisoned nephrectomized rats. The injection of erythropoietin produced significant increases in the erythropoiesis
of nephrectomized or mercury-bichloride poisoned rats, but the response was
substantially smaller than in ureter-ligated or sham-operated animals.
The presence of funtioning renal (tubular) tissue appears to be necessary
for a normal erythropoietic response. Renal formation of erythropoietin with
a rapid normal turnover, or the accumulation of an inhibitor, distinct from
urea and normally inactivated by the kidneys, are discussed as possible
mechanisms.
Submitted on March 14, 1960
Accepted on April 29, 1960
