Effect of Neopterin on Splenic Erythropoiesis in Mice

Abstract

Neopterin is produced by monocytes and is a biomarker for inflammation. We recently found that neopterin induces stromal cells to produce cytokines that suppress erythropoiesis in the bone marrow of mice. Despite this suppression, the peripheral hematocrit values are not decreased. The goal of the present study was to determine whether the maintenance of hematocrit values is caused by a neopterin-induced acceleration of extramedullary erythropoiesis. We examined the effects of intravenously injected neopterin on splenic erythropoiesis in C57BL/6J mice and found a marked increase (259% of the pretreatment level) in the number of splenic erythroid progenitor cells (BFU-E and CFU-E) after a slight temporal decrease in the number of erythroid progenitor cells. These results suggest that neopterin increases splenic erythropoiesis to compensate for the suppression of erythropoiesis in the bone marrow, resulting in the maintenance of hematocrit levels in peripheral blood.

Keywords

• neopterin
• erythroid progenitor cell
• spleen