Darbepoetin α ameliorates neuronal damage in a rat model of acute ethanol intoxication.

Objective: Acute ethanol intoxication has been shown to cause oxidative damage in many organ systems including the brain. Erythropoietin has antioxidant effects and prevents neuronal damage in the animal model of ischemic brain injury. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of darbepoetin alpha, an analog of erythropoietin with a longer half-life and higher in vivo activity, on ethanol-induced acute brain injury.

Methods: Forty-eight Wistar albino rats were allocated to four groups. The first group received ethanol treatment (E), the second group was treated with ethanol and darbepoetin (ED), the third group received only saline treatment (S), and the fourth group received both saline and darbepoetin treatment (SD). Plasma S100-β and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels were measured. Histopathological evaluation of the brains was performed.

Results: The plasma S100-β and NSE levels were significantly lower in group ED compared with group E. In group E, we have observed focal red-neuron formation at the granular layer of the dentate gyrus. We did not observe any histopathological changes in the other groups (ED, S, and SD).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that darbepoetin alpha has neuroprotective effect in acute ethanol intoxication, possibly through its antioxidant effect.