Review: Recombinant human erythropoietin: novel strategies for neuroprotective/neuroregenerative treatment of multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still unsatisfactory and essentially non-existing for the progressive course of the disease. Recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) may be a promising neuroprotective/neuroregenerative treatment of MS. In the nervous system, EPO acts anti-apoptotic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, neurotrophic and plasticity-modulating. Beneficial effects have been shown in animal models of various neurological and psychiatric diseases, including different models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. EPO is also effective in human brain disease, as shown in double-blind placebo-controlled clinical studies on ischemic stroke and chronic schizophrenia. An exploratory study on chronic progressive MS yielded lasting improvement in motor and cognitive performance upon high-dose long-term EPO treatment.