Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intestinal mucosa have an important role in the protection against bacterial infiltration. Its injury could induce bacterial translocation, resulting in sepsis and/or endotoxemia. Induction of heat shock protein-70 (HSP-70) has shown cytoprotective effects acting as a chaperon of protein folding and assembly. Although sepsis may not only induce intestinal mucosal injury but also HSP-70 in mucosal tissue, the association of the cytoprotective effect of HSP-70 and intestinal injury during sepsis remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study is to clarify its association using septic rats.
METHODS: Sepsis was produced in rats by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Animals were divided into four groups: CLP, sham, heat-stress loading followed by CLP (HS-CLP), and sodium arsenite injection followed by CLP (SA-CLP) groups. Thirty-six hours after the operation, intestinal injury was histopathologically evaluated, and HSP-70 expression was studied by the immunohistochemical method.
RESULTS: HSP-70 was induced in the intestinal tissue of the CLP group but not in the sham group. The grade of intestinal injury in the HS-CLP and SA-CLP groups were reduced compared to that in the CLP group (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION: Sepsis induced HSP-70 in intestinal tissue, but its expression did not show cytoprotection. Induction of HSP-70 before CLP could reduce intestinal injury. These results indicate that HSP-70 has a cytoprotective effect on intestinal tissue against sepsis.
