Erythropoietin treatment improves liver regeneration in a rat model of living related liver transplantation via upregulation of c-jun and inhibition of apoptosis

Introduction: Inadequate liver regeneration is still an unsolved problem in the setting of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Therefore, we have investigated the use of erythropoietin (EPO) as an exogenous stimulator of liver regeneration in a rat model of LDLT. Materials and Methods: Male Lewis rats were treated before operation and perioperatively with EPO or heat-inactivated EPO-vehicles, respectively. Animals underwent a 30% partial liver transplantation (pLTx). Serum and liver samples were taken to investigate liver function, liver body weight ratio (LBWR), hepatocyte proliferation (Ki–67), apoptosi…