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Recombinant human erythropoietin induces intussusceptive microvascular growth in vivo

Leukemia volume 18, pages 331–336 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The role of erythropoietin (Epo) in angiogenesis has not been completely clarified. Epo induces endothelial cell proliferation and migration and stimulates angiogenesis on rat aortic rings in vitro and in vivo in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ultrastructural aspects of angiogenesis in the CAM vasculature after recombinant human Epo (rHuEpo) exposure. The results demonstrated that after rHuEpo stimulation, the generation of new blood vessels occurred more frequently following an intussusceptive microvascular growth (IMG) mechanism. We have performed our experiments between days 8 and 12 of incubation, that is, when in the normal condition the capillary network expands mainly by IMG, and because it is generally accepted that implants made from days 8 to 10 are strongly angiogenic. This response is peculiar of rHuEpo, because it is abolished when an Epo-blocking antibody was coadministered with Epo.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by a grant ‘Interuniversity Funds for Basic Research’ (FIRB) from Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca, Rome (Italy) and Fondazione italiana per la Lotta al Neuroblastoma, Genoa, Italy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical and Morphological Researches, Anatomy Section, University of Udine Medical School, Udine, Italy

    E Crivellato

  2. Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy

    B Nico & D Ribatti

  3. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy

    A Vacca

  4. Institute of Human Anatomy, University of Berne Medical School, Berne, Switzerland

    V Djonov

  5. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Brescia Medical School, Brescia, Italy

    M Presta

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  1. E Crivellato
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  4. V Djonov
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  5. M Presta
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  6. D Ribatti
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Correspondence to D Ribatti.

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Crivellato, E., Nico, B., Vacca, A. et al. Recombinant human erythropoietin induces intussusceptive microvascular growth in vivo. Leukemia 18, 331–336 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403246

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403246

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