losartan-potassium and Peritoneal-Diseases

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an alternative treatment of patients with end-stage renal disease. Unfortunately, long term peritoneal dialysis causes injury of the peritoneum associated with ultra filtration failure. Erythropoietin (EPO) is a potent stimulator of elytroid progenitor cells and its expression is enhanced by hypoxia. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of EPO on the development of experimental peritoneal fibrosis induced by chlorhexidine gluconate (CG). A peritoneal fibrosis model was established using rats treated intraperitoneally with injection of CG. EPO was administered at the dose of 5000 U/kg i.p. three time per week for three weeks. When compared to CG-treated rats, EPO (5000 U/kg i.p. three time per week for three weeks) treated rats subjected to GC-induced peritoneal fibrosis experienced a significantly lower rate in the extent and severity of the histological signs of peritoneal injury. EPO also caused a substantial reduction of (i) the rise in myeloperoxidase activity (mucosa), (ii) the expression in the tissue of TNF-alpha, TGFbeta and VEGF (iii) the increase in staining (immunohistochemistry) for nitrotyrosine and for PAR, as well as (iv) the NF-kappaB activation caused by CG in the peritoneum. Thus, EPO treatment reduces the degree of peritoneal fibrosis caused by CG. We propose that this evidence may help to clarify the potential therapeutic actions of EPO in patients with peritoneal fibrosis.

Topics: Animals; Blotting, Western; Chlorhexidine; Disease Models, Animal; Erythropoietin; Fibrosis; Peritoneal Dialysis; Peritoneal Diseases; Peritoneum; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances

Recent studies have indicated new physiological roles for erythropoietin (Epo) unrelated to erythropoiesis. We previously demonstrated that the Epo concentrations in peritoneal fluid from patients with stage I endometriosis were significantly higher than those with stages II, III and IV of the disease. Therefore, we hypothesized that Epo may play a role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, particularly during the early stages of the disease.. We investigated the localization of Epo and the Epo receptor (Epo-R) in peritoneal endometriosis and eutopic endometrium, using immunohistochemistry.. We detected Epo and Epo-R localized within glandular epithelial cells in both peritoneal endometriosis and eutopic endometrium. There was no significant difference in Epo expression between red and black peritoneal lesions, whereas Epo-R expression was significantly lower in black peritoneal lesions when compared to red lesions. Epo and Epo-R expression levels within red peritoneal lesions were comparable to those of eutopic endometrium from patients with endometriosis.. The present findings suggest that Epo may play a role in the pathophysiology of endometriosis.

Topics: Adult; Endometriosis; Endometrium; Erythropoietin; Female; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Peritoneal Diseases; Receptors, Erythropoietin; Tissue Distribution