Quotes About Erythropoietin

Erythropoietin is usually called a hormone, but technically it fits the definition of a cytokine because it is made on demand rather than stored in vesicles.

In fact, erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulated red blood cell production, and thus increased oxygen-carrying capacity, was well known for its ability to confer dramatic increases in endurance. This hormone had long been used as a doping drug by athletes, most notably Lance Armstrong, but was only a tiny fraction as effective as Ella's respirocytes.

In most circumstances when we spend a lengthy amount of time at higher elevations our genes begin to subtly adjust their expression, which prompts cells in our kidneys to make and secrete more erythropoietin, or EPO for short. This hormone stimulates cells in our bone marrow to increase the production of red blood cells, as well as keep the ones already in circulation around past their typical expiration date.