Improvement of Mouse &Thalassemia by Recombinant Human Erythropoietin

Homozygous 8 thalassemic mice received 50 U (1,660 U/kg) of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) 5 days a week for 2 weeks. Hemoglobin increased from 9.2 2 0.6 g/dL to 10.5 f 0.4 g/dL (P = .002) and hematocrit increased from 29.2% f 0.9% to 34.1% f 1.9% (P = .0014). The p minor/a globin chain synthesis ratio increased slightly but significantly between day -4 (0.75 f 0.07) and day 4 (0.81 f 0.04) (P = .01) and reached a minimum ratio (0.67 f 0.03) on day 15 (P = .001), being parallel to reticulocyte counts and to the incorporated trichloracetic acid (TCA)-insoluble radioactivity, therefore parallel to the erythropoietic output in thalassemic mice, as in normal mice. Erythrocyte defects were