Regulatory mechanism of erythropoietin production: effects of hypoxemia and hypercarbia.

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to define the relationship between erythropoietin (Ep) production and some of the coincident variables which control oxygen delivery in hypoxic and hypoxic-hypercarbic rats (2) to define the mechanism whereby hypercarbia suppresses Ep production in hypoxemic rats. Rats were exposed to O2 concentrations ranging from 5% to 9% O2 for either 3 or 16 h. Arterial whole blood pH, pCO2, pO2, O2 saturation, p50 and Ep levels were measured in each rat. There was a highly significant inverse correlation between both the arterial pO2 and O2 saturation and the Ep level. Ep levels were not increased above normal if the pO2 was greater than 50 mm Hg or the O2 saturation was greater than 80%. The addition of 5% CO2 to all inhaled gas mixtures was associated with a 10 mm Hg increment in the pO2 together with a marked reduction in plasma Ep levels. Of the measured variables only the pO2 and O2 saturation showed a consistent correlation with the Ep levels when rats exposed to hypoxia were compared with rats exposed to hypoxia + CO2.