Controlled Regulation of Erythropoietin by Primary Cultured Renal Cells for Renal Failure Induced Anemia

Purpose: Renal failure induced anemia develops as a result of inadequate production of erythropoietin, which is the primary regulator of red blood cell production. We previously noted that culture expanded primary renal cells stably express erythropoietin and suggested that these cells may be used as a potential treatment for renal failure induced anemia. We investigated whether these cells are able to regulate erythropoietin expression in a controlled manner under different oxygen and environmental conditions.Materials and Methods: Primary rat renal cells were exposed to different hypoxic (0.1% to 1% O2) and normoxic environments. Erythropoietin expression was assessed using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Erythropoietin production was measured in culture medium using Meso Scale Discovery® assays. Results were plotted to compare different levels of production to the control.Results: Cultured renal cells expressed high levels of erythropoietin under hypoxia for up to 24 hours with a gradu...