Erythropoietin pretreatment protects against acute chemotherapy toxicity in isolated rat hearts.

The use of chemotherapeutic agents, such as anthracycline or trastuzumab, in oncology is limited by their cardiac toxicity. Recent experimental studies suggest that recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) can be considered as a protective agent because its administration protects against cardiac ischemic injury, improving functional recovery, and reducing cell death. The aim of this study was to investigate whether pretreatment by rhEPO protects against acute cardiotoxicity induced by doxorubicin and trastuzumab, using the isolated rat heart model.