ABSTRACT
Erythropoietin (EPO) is better known by the public for its use in doping than as a medication. A good number of scandals have erupted regarding its use in sports, and these constitute just a shadow of its use as a doping agent. It is true that the biological effects of this hormone, which is normally synthesized in the kidney by the peritubular cells of the proximal tubule, have a wellknown impact on aerobic power and therefore upon the athlete’s capacity for endurance. By stimulating the production of red blood cells by the bone marrow, EPO improves the transport of oxygen to muscles.
