The pleiotropic effects of erythropoietin in infection and inflammation

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a multi-functional cytokine, which exerts erythropoietic effects but also carries anti-apoptotic and immune-modulatory activities upon binding to two distinct receptors which are expressed on erythroid, parenchymal and immune cells, respectively. Whereas EPO ameliorates hemolytic anemia in malaria or trypanosomiasis and improves the course of autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease or autoimmune encephalomyelitis, it deleteriously inhibits macrophage functions in Salmonella infection in animal models. Thus, the specific modulation of extra-erythropoietic EPO activity forms an attractive therapeutic target in infection and inflammation.