Table 1. Effect of EPO treatment on body weight, hematology, and plasma and tissue EPO concentrations in the three experimental groups.
| Group | Control (n = 10) | Low-dose EPO (n = 10) | High-dose EPO (n = 10) |
| Initial mice weight (g) | 26.7±1.1 | 25.9±1.1 | 26.2±1.0 |
| After EPO treatment | 27.3±1.1 | 27.9±1.1 | 28.6±1.2 |
| At week 15 | 28.3±1.1 | 28.8±1.1 | 29.0±1.2 |
| Initial RBC count (106/mm3) | 7.8±0.9 | 8.0±1.0 | 7.9±1.2 |
| After EPO treatment | 7.9±0.9 | 8.0±1.1 | 8.9±1.0* |
| At week 15 | 7.8±0.9 | 7.9±1.0 | 8.1±1.2 |
| Initial leukocyte count (106/mm3) | 10.8±1.2 | 11.1±1.1 | 10.9±1.2 |
| After EPO treatment | 11.2±1.2 | 11.4±1.1 | 13.1±1.3* |
| At week 15 | 11.0±1.1 | 10.8±1.1 | 11.4±1.2 |
| Initial platelet count (103/L) | 593±54 | 609±63 | 603±72 |
| After EPO treatment | 579±58 | 621±68 | 741±81** |
| At week 15 | 593±54 | 601±57 | 597±64 |
| Initial hemoglobin conc. (g/dl) | 14.4±1.3 | 15.1±1.4 | 15.5±1.4 |
| After EPO treatment | 14.8±1.3 | 15.7±1.4 | 16.4±1.6 |
| At week 15 | 14.8±1.2 | 15.1±1.6 | 14.9±1.5 |
| Initial plasma EPO conc. (mU/mL) | 14.3±1.9 | 14.6±1.3 | 14.2±1.7 |
| After EPO treatment | 13.7±1.4 | 17.6±3.3* | 46.7±8.7*** |
| At week 15 | 14.3±1.7 | 14.2±1.3 | 14.1±1.3 |
| Initial plasma VEGF conc. (pg/mL) | 38.6±3.9 | 34.8±4.6 | 39.2±4.8 |
| After EPO treatment | 37.1±3.8 | 51.5±6.6* | 87±9.2*** |
| At week 15 | 38.0±3.3 | 36.6±4.9 | 37.4±5.3 |
| Tissue EPO conc. (mU/mL) | 0.3±0.1 | 0.3±0.1 | 0.3±0.1 |
Footnotes
Values are presented as mean ± SD; n = number of mice; conc. = concentrations; RBC = red blood cells; EPO = erythropoietin; VEGF = vascular endothelial growth factor. *P<0.05, **P<0.01, ***P<0.001 for the difference between either the low-dose- or the high-dose-treated EPO grafts and the PBS-treated grafts.