Carbamoylated Erythropoietin Rescues Autism-Relevant Social Deficits in BALB/cJ Mice

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology
• Genetics

Background:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting social communication and characterized by repetitive behaviors.
• Current treatments for core ASD features are limited.
• Erythropoietin (EPO) shows neuroprotective effects but has hematopoietic side effects; its derivative, carbamoylated erythropoietin (CEPO), lacks these side effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of CEPO in ameliorating social and anxiety-related behavioral deficits in a mouse model of ASD.
• To compare CEPO's effects against C57BL/6J controls in established behavioral tasks.

Main Methods:

• CEPO (40 μg/kg) or vehicle was administered to BALB/cJ mice over 21 days.
• Behavioral analyses included the three-chamber social approach, open field, elevated plus maze, and Porsolt's forced swim tests.

Main Results:

• CEPO administration significantly improved sociability in the three-chamber social approach task, increasing interaction with novel mice.
• CEPO did not alter overall exploratory activity in the open field or anxiety-related measures in the elevated plus maze.
• CEPO enhanced exploratory behavior in the elevated plus maze.

Conclusions:

• CEPO effectively corrected social interaction deficits in a mouse model relevant to ASD.
• This study is the first to demonstrate the benefits of a non-erythropoietic EPO derivative on social behavior in an ASD mouse model.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying CEPO's pro-social effects.