Increased circulating heat shock protein 70 levels in pregnant asthmatics

Abstract

Asthma is one of the most common diseases complicating pregnancy and represents a risk factor for several maternal and perinatal complications. The natural history of asthma is known to change in pregnancy, but very few data are available in the terms of pathomechanism of this change during gestation. Circulating heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) levels are decreased in healthy pregnancy, which might reflect physiological immunotolerance. The aim of our study was to determine the serum levels of Hsp70 in asthmatic women during gestation. Forty pregnant women with bronchial asthma and 40 healthy pregnant women matched for maternal and gestational age were involved in this case-control study. Serum Hsp70 levels were measured using the ELISA Kit of R&D Systems.Spirometry and oxygen saturation measurements were performed in asthmatic patients. In asthmatic pregnant women, an increase of serum Hsp70 levels was observed compared to healthy pregnant women (median (25-75 percentile): 0.44 ng/ml (0.36-0.53) versus 0.21 ng/ml (0-0.27), p< 0.001). Fetal birth weight of asthmatic mothers was significantly smaller than of healthy controls, but in the normal range (3,230 g (2,690-3,550) versus 3,550 g (3,450-3,775), p<0.05). A statistically significant negative correlation between maternal age and serum Hsp70 concentrations (Spearman R=−0.48, p=0.0018) and a significant positive correlation between gestational age and serum Hsp70 levels (Spearman R=0.83, p<0.001) were detected in healthy pregnant women. In conclusion, this study proves an elevation of circulating Hsp70 levels during asthmatic pregnancy compared to healthy pregnant women. However, further studies are warranted to determine the role of circulating Hsp70 in the pathogenesis of maternal and perinatal complications of asthma in pregnancy.

Increased heat shock protein 70 levels in induced sputum and plasma correlate with severity of asthma patients

“…We also show that the concentrations of HSP70 positively and significantly correlated with neutrophil counts and percentage of neutrophils in peripheral blood and lymphocyte count and its percentage in induced sputum. Finally, consistent with a recent findings by Tamási et al (2010), our reports confirmed that HSP70 concentrations are elevated in asthma patients and positively and significantly correlated with the asthma symptom scores.…”

“…However, to the best our knowledge, no studies have been performed yet to evaluate the sputum HSP70 levels in patients with asthma. And comparing results of the present study to those of Tamási et al (2010), they investigated pregnant women.…”

“…The fact that disease severity was an independent predictor of plasma and sputum, HSP70 further supports a potential role for HSP70 as a new biomarker for asthma. Tamási et al (2010) reported a significant increase in the serum levels of HSP70 in asthmatic women during gestation. And Yang et al (2005)demonstrated a significant increase of autoantibodies against HSP70 in patients with asthma.…”

“…In Yang's study, the presence of autoantibodies against Hsp70 was associated with the severity of asthma and was also correlated with higher levels of total IgE and IL-4 in asthmatic patients (Yang et al 2005). Tamási et al (2010) have recently reported that the serum HSP70 levels increased in asthmatic pregnant women compared to the control healthy pregnant and the levels of serum HSP70 negatively correlated with the maternal age and positively correlated with gestational age in the group of healthy pregnant women. These data suggest that the HSP70 may be involved in the pathogenesis and development of these diseases including asthma.…”

Serum heat shock protein 70 and oxidized LDL in patients with type 2 diabetes: does sex matter?

“…HSPA1A/B (HSP70) is one of the members of the HSP family that have been most extensively studied Hageman and Kampinga 2009). HSP70 expression increases under stressful conditions (Ireland et al 2007;Pandey et al 2009;Soti et al 2005;Tamasi et al 2009;Molvarec et al 2009a) and is positively correlated with markers of inflammation, such as CRP, monocyte count, serum aspartate aminotrasferase, LDH activity, plasma malondialdehyde level and TNF-α (Njemini et al 2004;Mayer and Bukau 2005;Molvarec et al , 2007aMolvarec et al , 2009b. We have previously shown that circulating levels of HSP70 is increased with duration of diabetes and is associated with the chronicity of the disease (Nakhjavani et al 2010).…”