What does erythropoietin mean?
Erythropoietin is a glycoprotein hormone, abbreviated EPO, that governs the production of red blood cells. Secreted primarily by the kidneys in response to low oxygen levels in the blood, it travels to the bone marrow, where it stimulates stem cells to develop into red blood cells — the body's principal mechanism for matching oxygen-carrying capacity to demand. When kidney function declines, natural erythropoietin production falls, leading to anemia; for this reason, laboratory-manufactured recombinant erythropoietin has become an important treatment for patients with chronic kidney disease, certain cancers, and other conditions that impair red cell formation. The word also appears frequently in sports journalism: because injected erythropoietin boosts endurance by increasing oxygen delivery, it was widely abused as a performance-enhancing drug and subsequently banned by anti-doping authorities, notably after cycling scandals of the late 1990s. In tone, the term is clinical and scientific rather than colloquial, and outside medicine it is almost always encountered as EPO.
nounA hormone produced mainly by the kidneys that stimulates the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. It is also produced synthetically (recombinant erythropoietin, or EPO) as a drug to treat certain types of anemia.
- The naturally occurring kidney hormone that regulates red blood cell production by stimulating erythropoiesis in the bone marrow.
- A recombinant or synthetic version of this hormone (such as epoetin alfa) used clinically to treat anemia, and misused as a performance-enhancing drug in endurance sports.
"Patients with chronic kidney disease often receive synthetic erythropoietin to counteract the anemia caused by declining hormone production."
"Because the kidneys produce most of the body's erythropoietin, patients with renal failure frequently develop anemia."
"The cyclist was stripped of his title after testing positive for recombinant erythropoietin."
Rarely used in the plural; occasionally found in biomedical literature referring to different variants or analogues of the hormone.
"Several recombinant erythropoietins are now approved for clinical use."
Erythropoietin — better known as EPO — became infamous when it was banned as a blood-doping agent in professional cycling after several high-profile Tour de France scandals.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of erythropoietin
The word erythropoietin was coined in the mid-20th century from Greek roots: 'erythro-' meaning red (from Greek 'erythros'), and '-poietin' derived from Greek 'poiein', meaning to make, combined with the suffix '-in' used for hormones and proteins. It thus literally means 'a substance that makes red [blood cells]'. The same Greek root gives related medical terms such as erythrocyte (red blood cell) and erythropoiesis (red cell production), and the '-poietin' element recurs in thrombopoietin, the hormone governing platelet production.
How erythropoietin is actually used
Erythropoietin is a technical term used chiefly in medicine, physiology, and sports science; in everyday and journalistic contexts it is usually shortened to EPO. The word carries a clinical register and, because of its association with doping scandals, can carry negative connotations in sports coverage.
Easily confused with erythropoietin
Thrombopoietin is the analogous hormone that stimulates platelet production, whereas erythropoietin stimulates red blood cell production.