Inducible heat shock protein 70 kD and inducible nitric oxide synthase in hemorrhage/resuscitation-induced injury

Inducible heat shock protein 70 kD (HSP-70i) has been shown to protect cells, tissues, and organs from harmful assaults in in vivo and in vitro experimental models. Hemorrhagic shock followed by resuscitation is the principal cause of death among trauma patients and soldiers in the battlefield. Although the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood, it has been shown that nitric oxide (NO) overproduction and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) over expression play important roles in producing injury caused by hemorrhagic shock including increases in polymorpho nuclear neutrophils (PMN) infiltration to injured tissues and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) generation. Moreover, transcription factors responsible for iNOS expression are also altered by hemorrhage and resuscitation. It has been evident that either up-regulation of HSP-70i or down-regulation of iNOS can limit tissue injury caused by ischemia/reperfusion or hemorrhage/resuscitation. In our laboratory, geldanamycin, a member of ansamycin famil