Heat shock proteins (HSPs) have been implicated in the activation and survival of macrophages. This study examined the role of HSP70B, a poorly characterized member of the HSP70 family, in response to oxidatively modified LDL (oxLDL) and immune complexes prepared with human oxLDL and purified human antibodies to oxLDL (oxLDL-IC) in monocytic and macrophage cell lines. Immunoblot analysis of cell lysates and conditioned medium from U937 cells treated with oxLDL alone revealed an increase in intracellular HSP70B protein levels accompanied by a concomitant increase in HSP70B extracellular levels. Fluorescence immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy, however, demonstrated that oxLDL-IC stimulated the release of HSP70B, which co-localized with cell-associated oxLDL-IC. In HSP70B-green fluorescent protein-transfected mouse RAW 264.7 cells, oxLDL-IC-induced HSP70B co-localized with membrane-associated oxLDL-IC as well as the lipid moiety of internalized oxLDL-IC. Furthermore, the data demonstrated that HSP70B is involved in cell survival, and this effect could be mediated by sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1) activation. An examination of regularly implicated cytokines revealed a significant relationship between HSP70B and the release of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10). Small interfering RNA knockdown of HSP70B resulted in a corresponding decrease in SK1 mRNA levels and SK1 phosphorylation as well as increased release of IL-10. In conclusion, these findings suggest that oxLDL-IC induce the synthesis and release of HSP70B, and once stimulated, HSP70B binds to the cellassociated and internalized lipid moiety of oxLDL-IC. The data also implicate HSP70B in key cellular functions, such as regulation of SK1 activity and release of IL-10, which influence macrophage activation and survival.