Ca++ and 1,25(OH)2D3 regulate in vitro and in vivo the response to human recombinant erythropoietin in CAPD patients.

In vitro studies indicate that the culture medium Ca++ concentration conditions the response to erythropoietin of bone marrow erythropoietic cells which also have specific receptors for 1,25(OH)2D3. We therefore evaluated in 12 anemic CAPD patients: 1) in vitro with increasing concentrations of Ca++ alone or Ca++ plus 1,25(OH)2D3 a) Ca++ in the bone marrow erythroid cell cytoplasm; b) colony (BFU-E and CFU-E) growth from bone marrow erythroid cells. 2) in vivo before and after 24 weeks of i.v. recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) therapy a) bone marrow erythroid cell cytoplasmic Ca++; b) BFU-E and CFU-E growth. Results showed that in CAPD patients, in vitro cytoplasmic Ca++ in bone marrow erythroid cells, and BFU-E and CFU-E growth were lower than in normals and the addition of Ca++ caused a dose-dependent increase; 1,25(OH)2D3) potentiated these effects; 2, in vivo rHuEPO therapy normalized the aforementioned parameters. An inverse relationship was seen between the bone marrow erythorid cell cytoplasmic Ca++ levels before therapy and the duration of therapy necessary to correct anemia. These data underline the role of Ca++ and 1,25(OH)2D3 in erythropoiesis in uremic patients and may aid the understanding of the mode of action and the degree of response to rHuEPO in CAPD patients.