Short-term effect of erythropoietin on t-cell mitogenic proliferation in chronic renal failure patients

Uremic patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) are known to be highly susceptible to infections. Recent data indicate that in addition to its well-known stimulating effects on red cell production, erythropoietin (EPO) may also have immunomodulating properties. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of EPO on lectin-induced T-lymphocyte transformation in uremic patients, as part of its effect on the immune response. Sixteen HD patients and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were compared before and after 6 and 20 weeks of EPO treatment. T lymphocytes were analyzed for their mitogenic activity following treatment with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (CON A) and anti-CD3 by measuring ³H-thymidine incorporation. HD patients showed reduced mitogenic responses to all mitogens tested, compared to healthy controls. During the 6 weeks of EPO administration, a significant increase in T-lymphocyte activity could be demonstrated following exposure to all three mitogens (PHA, from 32 ± 2 to 45 ± 8; CON A, from 11 ± 3 to 25 ± 9; anti-CD3, from 11 ± 3 to 22 ± 5, means ± SD). This increase was augmented after 5 months of EPO treatment. We conclude therefore that EPO improves in vitro T-cell mitogenic proliferation, even after short periods of treatment.