Endotoxin inhibits heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with severe sepsis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the ex vivo endotoxin-inducible heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with severe sepsis in order to assess the capacity of this potentially protective response during systemic inflammation.


METHODS
Prospective observational study in consecutive patients with severe sepsis and healthy blood donors.


METHODS
Surgical intensive care unit in a university hospital.


METHODS
Eleven patients with the diagnosis of severe sepsis, one patient who had recovered from severe sepsis and 13 healthy blood donors.


METHODS
None.


RESULTS
We studied the inducibility of HSP70 expression in the PBMC of patients with severe sepsis and healthy blood donors ex vivo. Human whole blood was incubated with variable lipopolysaccharide (LPS from Salmonella minnesota Re 595) concentrations (0; 0.1; 10; 100 ng/ml) for different periods of time (0.5; 2; 4; 10 h). The PBMC were separated by Ficoll density gradient and then disrupted by hypotonic lysis. HSP70 was measured by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found a LPS dose- and time-dependent inhibition of ex vivo HSP70 expression in the PBMC of both patients with severe sepsis and healthy individuals. However, the levels of HSP70 expression in patients were significantly lower compared to those of healthy individuals at all LPS concentrations and incubation times. On average, HSP70 expression in the PBMC of healthy controls was 2.8 (range 1.2-3.9) times higher than in patients. HSP70 expression was inducible by thermal heat shock in the PBMC of both patients and healthy individuals.


CONCLUSIONS
Endotoxin inhibits HSP70 expression in PBMC ex vivo. In vivo, the suppression of HSP70 expression induced by endotoxin and high levels of proinflammatory cytokines may contribute to the cellular dysfunction of immunocompetent cells concerning antigen presentation, phagocytosis and antibody production associated with decreased resistance to infectious insults during severe sepsis.
Klinik und Poliklinik für Anästhesiologie und Spezielle Intensivmedizin, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Germany. schroed@mailer.meb.uni-bonn.de
S
S
Schroeder
J
J
Bischoff
L E
LE
Lehmann
R
R
Hering
T
T
von Spiegel
C
C
Putensen
A
A
Hoeft
F
F
Stüber
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019540:Area Under Curve; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012475:Salmonella; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides