title: HSP 70 and atherosclerosis--protector or activator?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Atherosclerosis and its complications represent the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) protects cellular elements from injury by reducing oxidation, inflammation and apoptosis and by refolding damaged proteins. HSP70 improves viability of stressed vascular smooth muscle cells, possibly via its chaperone functions. It has been proposed that the response mounted against bacterial HSPs results in an autoimmune reaction, which has the potential to cause complement-mediated endothelial injury, and hence accelerate atherogenesis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to examine the roles of HSPs in atherosclerosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature review.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The role of HSPs in atherosclerosis is controversial. HSP60 probably acts as an autoantigen, and may trigger both cell- and antibody-mediated immune responses, while HSP70 is likely to be involved in cytoprotection. The significance of this inverse relation between HSP70 and atherosclerosis has not yet been elucidated. Whether HSPs will become therapeutic targets remains to be established.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cardionephrology and Hypertension, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Agata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bielecka-Dabrowa
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barylski
authors.forename: Dimitri P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Mikhailidis
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rysz
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Banach
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D018834:Chaperonin 60 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins