Erythropoietic agents as neurotherapeutic agents: what barriers exist?

Erythropoietin is the primary physiological regulator of erythropoiesis, and it exerts its effect by binding to cell surface receptors. It has recently been shown that both erythropoietin and its receptor are found in the human cerebral cortex, and that, in vitro, the cytokine is synthesized by astrocytes and neurons, has neuroprotective activity, and is up-regulated following hypoxic stimuli. In animal models, exogenous recombinant human erythropoietin has been reported to be beneficial in treating experimental global and focal cerebral ischemia and reducing nervous system inflammation. These findings suggest that exogenous administration of erythropoietic agents (darbepoetin alfa [Aranesp], epoetin alfa [Epogen, Procrit], and epoetin beta [NeoRecormon]) may be a potential therapeutic tool for central nervous system injury. However, transport of protein therapeutics to the brain's extracellular environment via systemic blood supply generally does not occur due to the negligible permeability of the brain capillary endothelial wall. Therefore, in order to pharmacologically exploit and fully realize the therapeutic benefits of exogenous erythropoietic agents in CNS dysfunction, mechanisms of action and the potential impact of biodistribution barriers need to be elucidated.