Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41810235›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in medicine2026

Current research on the HIF-2α-EPO-Hb axis in hypoxic environments: from molecular mechanisms to clinical.

Qiaochu Zheng, Yinglan Li, Jimei Li

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Qiaochu ZhengQinghai University, Xining, China.
Yinglan LiQinghai University, Xining, China.
Jimei LiQinghai University, Xining, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Hypoxic environments modulate downstream gene expression via activation of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) signaling pathway, which facilitates adaptive responses to low oxygen. Under hypoxic conditions, HIF-2α is stabilized and translocated to the nucleus, where it binds to hypoxia-response elements and upregulates transcription of the erythropoietin (EPO) gene. Increased EPO stimulates red blood cell production in the bone marrow, raising hemoglobin (Hb) levels to improve oxygen transport. This review examines the principal regulatory pathway, the Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-2α-Erythropoietin-Hemoglobin axis (HIF-2α-EPO-Hb), which governs physiological and pathological responses to hypoxia. The HIF-2α-EPO-Hb axis dynamically regulates erythropoietin and hemoglobin production in response to fluctuations in oxygen levels, maintaining systemic oxygen homeostasis. This pathway is involved in both physiological processes, such as high-altitude adaptation, and pathological conditions. Disruption of this axis leads to anemia associated with chronic kidney disease, while excessive activation contributes to high-altitude polycythemia and tumor progression, including renal cell carcinoma. The complex regulatory networks of this axis across diverse tissue microenvironments and disease states remain incompletely characterized. Targeted interventions, such as hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors and hypoxia-inducible factor-2α inhibitors, face significant challenges in tissue selectivity, long-term safety, and efficacy prediction. This review elucidates the molecular regulatory mechanisms of the HIF-2α-EPO-Hb axis, delineates its dysregulation in chronic hypoxic diseases and tumorigenesis, and evaluates current research progress and clinical limitations of related therapies. The discussion provides theoretical foundations and future perspectives for mechanistic research and clinical intervention in relevant diseases.

Indexed as

chronic diseaseerythropoietinhemoglobinHIF-2αhigh-altitude adaptationhypoxic environment

Identifiers

PMID41810235
PMCPMC12967970

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.