Long-term thyroxine administration increases heat stress protein-70 mRNA expression and attenuates p38 MAP kinase activity in response to ischaemia

The present study was undertaken to investigate heat stress protein (HSP)-70 mRNA induction and p38 MAP kinase (MAPK) activity in response to ischaemic stress in the hyperthyroid rat heart. L-Thyroxine (T(4)) (25 microg/100 g body weight) was administered to Wistar rats for 2 days (THYRacute) or 14 days (THYR), while animals treated similarly with normal saline served as controls (NORMacute and NORM). In addition, abdominal aortic banding was performed in another group of rats to produce constriction-induced hypertrophy (HYP), while sham-operated (SOP) animals served as controls. Isolated rat hearts were perfused in a Langendorff mode. Hearts from NORMacute (n=6), THYRacute animals (n=8), NORM (n=6), THYR (n=6), SOP (n=5) and HYP (n=7) animals were subjected to 20 min of zero-flow global ischaemia followed by 45 min of reperfusion. HSP70 mRNA expression and phosphorylated p38 MAPK protein expression were detected in response to ischaemia and protein kinase C-epsilon (PKCepsilon) protein expression was detected at baseline. Thyroid hormones were measured in plasma. Long-term T(4) administration and aortic constriction resulted in the development of cardiac hypertrophy. Thyroid hormones were increased in both THYR and THYRacute as compared with normal groups (P0.05). This study shows that HSP70 mRNA expression is increased, whereas p38 MAPK activation is attenuated in response to ischaemia in long-term T(4)-treated rat hearts as compared with normal and acute hyperthyroid hearts.