JOURNAL OF NEUROSURGERY-SPINE, cilt.4, sa.4, ss.310-318, 2006 (SCI-Expanded)
Object. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating clinical syndrome for which no truly efficacious therapy has yet been identified. In preclinical studies, erythropoietin (EPO) and its nonerythropoietic derivatives asialoEPO and carbamylated EPO have markedly improved functional outcome when administered after compressive SCI. However, an optimum treatment paradigm is currently unknown. Because the uninjured spinal cord expresses a high density of EPO receptor (EPOR) in the basal state, signaling through these existing receptors in advance of injury (pharmacological preconditioning) might confer neuroprotection and therefore be potentially useful in situations of anticipated damage.