[Erythropoietin - state of science].

After a century of research and medical use, erythropoietin (EPO) has more therapeutic approaches than ever in history. After cloning its gene in 1984, EPO obtained FDA license for clinical use in 1989. EPO and its analogues are mainly used for treatment of the anaemias of chronic renal failure and malignancies. Regarding research of the past 15 years, tremendous efforts were made for improvement of bioactivity, half-life and alternative application. Today, there are human cell-lined derived EPO, SEP, CEPO, CERA and drugs which are linked to different pathways of signaling. Due to the fact that these substances are not detectable with standardized methods of detection, it must be assumed that the abuse in sport is still possible. Moreover it was found out that the EPO receptor and EPO synthesis are also expressed by non-hematopoietic tissues, e. g. heart myocytes, ovarian and glial cells. On these tissues EPO is linked to promote cell proliferation and differentiation, angiogenesis or inhibition of apoptosis. This detection offered approaches in treatment for apoplexia and cardiac infarction and even in preventive treatment of cardiovascular diseases which led to an interest of manifold subject categories.