EPO and brain ischemia: Erythropoietin stimulates an angiogenic behavior, e.g., proliferation, migration, and tube formation, both in vascular endothelial cells [184,185] and in circulating ECFCs; furthermore, the vasoreparative potential of ECFCs is enhanced by pretreatment with erythropoietin in an array of ischemic disorders [12], including hindlimb ischemia [186], cerebral ischemia [187], and retinopathy [89].