Use of erythropoietin

Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of erythropoietin for stimulating the physiological mobilization, proliferation and differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells, for stimulating vasculogenesis, for the therapy of diseases associated with a dysfunction of endothelial progenitor cells and for producing pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of such diseases, and pharmaceutical compositions which comprise erythropoietin and other suitable active ingredients for stimulating endothelial progenitor cells.

1 . A method for the treatment of chronic renal failure, said method comprising administering a pharmaceutical composition comprising a subpolycythemic erythropoietin dose corresponding to a weekly dose of 1 to 90 international units (IU) EPO/kg body weight to a subject in need of said treatment for healing said chronic renal failure. 
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition is administered parenterally. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said parenteral administration is carried out using a mode selected from the group consisting of intravenous, intramuscular, intracutaneous and subcutaneous, administration. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2 , where the pharmaceutical composition is in a form selected from the group consisting of an injectable form and an infusible form. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , where the pharmaceutical composition is administered via pulmonary administration. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , where the pharmaceutical composition is in a form selected from the group consisting of an aqueous solution, a nonaqueous solution and a powder. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5 , where the pharmaceutical composition is in an aerosol form. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition is orally administered. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , where the pharmaceutical composition is in a form selected from the group consisting of a solution, a suspension, an emulsion and a tablet. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , where the pharmaceutical composition comprises at least one further active ingredient which stimulates endothelial progenitor cells. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , where the further active ingredient is selected from the group consisting of VEGF, PIGF, GM-CSF, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor and an NO donor. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the further active ingredient is the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor and wherein said inhibitor is a statin. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the erythropoietin is human or animal erythropoietin. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the erythropoietin is selected from the group consisting of a derivative, an analog, a modification and a mutein of erythropoietin. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said erythropoietin is isolated from a source selected from the group consisting of human urine, urine or plasma of patients suffering from aplastic anemia, tissue cultures of human renal cancer cells, human lymphoblast cells having the ability to produce human erythropoietin and a hybridoma culture obtained by cell fusion of a human cell line. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the erythropoietin is produced by DNA recombination techniques.