Heat shock response reduces mortality after severe experimental burns

The heat shock response has imparted protective effects in animal models of septic shock and endotoxemia. This study has tested the hypothesis that it could be protective in experimental burns. One hundred and fifteen adult male Fischer rats were randomly divided into four groups. Rats in the first group (n=12) were anesthetized and shaved. In the second group (n=15) rats were anesthetized and heated in a 45°C water bath. In the third group (n=44), rats were anesthetized, shaved and submitted to 26–30% body surface third-degree burns using a brass bar. In the fourth group (n=44), rats were anesthetized, heated and, 1 day after, they were burnt. Mortality rates were measured at 3, 7, 15 and 25 days. Liver and lung samples were collected from all groups for heat-shock protein 70 detection. Heat-shock protein 70 was positive in heated animals. No animals died in the first or second group. Heated and burnt animals showed significantly decreased mortality at days 3 (p<0.05, Fischer’s exact test) and at days 7, 15 and 25 (p<0.01) after burns, when compared to unheated burnt animals. In conclusion, eliciting the heat-shock response significantly reduced mortality rates in this model of experimental burns.