DRUG-THERAPY - ERYTHROPOIETIN

THE red-cell mass is continuously adjusted to the optimal size for its function as an oxygen carrier by messages transmitted to the bone marrow from an oxygen sensor in the kidney. These messages are mediated by the hormone erythropoietin, are modulated by cardiovascular and renal factors, and form a key link in the feedback loop that controls the production of red cells (Fig. 1).1 Erythropoietin is a glycoprotein growth factor synthesized by cells adjacent to the proximal renal tubules in response to signals from a renal oxygen-sensing device, probably a heme protein.2 In the bone marrow, erythropoietin binds to and. © 1991, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.