Abstract
Erythropoietin (EPO) can mediate neuroprotective effects by limiting the damage and death of cells that are still alive. This effect depends on the activation of both receptor to EPO (EPO-R), which undergoes a classic dimeric conformation called (EPO-R)2, and the EPOR-β common receptor (βCR). The interaction between EPO and EPO-R can prevent and repair tissue damage induced by hypoxia and neuroinflammation. The current chapter is focused on presenting the information necessary to support the hypothesis that EPO administration and/or EPO-R activation can represent a new therapeutic strategy to prevent the development of pharmacoresistant epilepsy after hypoxic events. This pharmacological effect can prevent the overexpression of multidrug resistant proteins, particularly P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which is an event induced by hypoxia and producing refractory epilepsy. The administration of high doses of EPO could also reduce the brain damage that results from seizure activity seen in the epileptogenic process subsequent to status epilepticus and perhaps avoids sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).
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Marelli, A., Czornyj, L., Rocha, L., Lazarowski, A. (2016). Erythropoietin as Potential Neuroprotective and Antiepileptogenic Agent in Epilepsy and Refractory Epilepsy. In: Talevi, A., Rocha, L. (eds) Antiepileptic Drug Discovery. Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6355-3_8
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