In vivo exposure to ozone produces an increase in a 72-kDa heat shock protein in guinea pigs

Su, Wei Yi, and Terry Gordon. In vivo exposure to ozoneproduces an increase in a 72-kDa heat shock protein in guinea pigs.J. Appl. Physiol. 83(3): 707-711, 1997.Although several lines of evidence have suggested that oxidizingagents can induce heat shock proteins (HSPs) in vitro, little is knownabout the induction of HSPs during in vivo exposure to oxidants. Guinea pigs were exposed to ozone for 6 h and euthanized up to 72 h later. Proteins from lavage cells and lung tissue were characterized byimmunoblotting with 72- and 73/72-kDa HSP monoclonal antibodies. Although 73-kDa HSP was expressed constituitively in lung tissue, itwas not affected by ozone. In contrast, 72-kDa HSP was significantly increased in lavage cells and lung tissue of animals exposed to 0.4 and0.66 parts/million of ozone. Both heat treatment and arsenite induced72-kDa HSP in cultured alveolar macrophages. The increase in 72-kDa HSPin the lavage cell pellet peaked at 24 h after ozone, whereas theinflux of polymorphonuclear leukocytes peaked at 4 h. Examination ofthe induction of HSPs by ozone may provide clues to the development ofozone tolerance in humans and animals.