Exogenous administration of Erythropoetin improves liver regeneration of the donor and recipient in a rat model of living related liver transplantation

Background and aims: Insufficient liver regeneration is still a major problem in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Recently, it has been stated that erythropoietin (EPO) has a wide range of nonerythropoetic functions. We have investigated EPO induced liver regeneration to explore its potential use as an exogenous stimulator of liver regeneration. Methods: Male Lewis rats were preconditioned and treated perioperatively with repeated doses of EPO or NaCl, respectively, and underwent 70% or 90% partial hepatectomy (PH) or partial liver transplantation (pLTx). Samples were taken to investigate liver serum a…