Drugs activating hypoxia-inducible factors correct erythropoiesis and hepcidin levels via renal EPO induction in mice

The erythroid growth factor erythropoietin (EPO) is mainly produced by the kidneys in adult mammals and induces expansion of erythroid cells and iron use for hemoglobin synthesis. The liver also produces EPO at a lower level than the kidneys. Renal and hepatic EPO production is fundamentally regulated by hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs) in a hypoxia/anemia-inducible manner. Recently, small compounds that activate HIFs and EPO production in the kidneys by inhibiting HIF-prolyl hydroxylases (HIF-PHIs) have been launched to treat EPO-deficiency anemia in patients with kidney disease. However, the roles of the liver in the HIF-PHI–mediated induction of erythropoiesis and iron mobilization remain controversial. Here, to elucidate the liver contributions to the therapeutic effects of HIF-PHIs, genetically modified mouse lines lacking renal EPO-production ability were analyzed. In the mutant mice, HIF-PHI administration marginally increased plasma EPO concentrations and peripheral erythrocytes by inducing hepatic EPO production. The effects of HIF-PHIs on the mobilization of stored iron and on the suppression of hepatic hepcidin, an inhibitory molecule for iron release from iron-storage cells, were not observed in the mutant mice. These findings demonstrate that adequate induction of EPO mainly in the kidney is essential for achieving the full therapeutic effects of HIF-PHIs, which include hepcidin suppression. The data also show that HIF-PHIs directly induce the expression of duodenal genes related to dietary iron intake. Furthermore, hepatic EPO induction is considered to partially contribute to the erythropoietic effects of HIF-PHIs but to be insufficient to compensate for the abundant EPO induction by the kidneys.