The influence of acute sterile inflammation on erythropoiesis in rats

Many different cell types, coordinated by proinflammatory mediators, take part in the acute inflammatory reaction, but there is a lack of evidence regarding the role of erythroid cells in such conditions. In this study, changes in bone marrow, splenic, and peripheral blood erythroid cells and in erythropoietin (Epo) blood levels were investigated up to 72 hours after polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-induced sterile inflammation in male Wistar rats (two intraperitoneal injections of 15 mL 3.5% PVP at 18-hour intervals). Transient changes within progenitor erythroid cells were observed in the bone marrow. Significant increases in the number of splenic immature erythroid progenitors (BFU-E) 6 hours and mature erythroid progenitors (CFU-E), erythroblasts, and orthochromatic erythroblasts 48 and 72 hours after the induction of inflammation pointed to stimulated splenic erythropoiesis. This was confirmed by semiquantitative assessment of splenic smears, which demonstrated expansion of erythroid cells at hours 48 and 72. The changes observed in the bone marrow and spleen indicated that during acute inflammation erythropoiesis was stimulated and that the spleens of PVP-treated rats were favorable to erythroid development. The significant increase in the percentage of peripheral blood reticulocytes 48 and 72 hours after PVP-induced inflammation provided evidence that effective erythropoiesis occurred. In spite of the stimulated erythropoiesis, serum levels of Epo remained unchanged, implying that other non-Epo regulatory molecules may be responsible for erythroid cellular changes.