Whole body hyperthermia induces heat shock proteins (HSPs), which confer cardioprotection. Several opioid receptor subtypes are expressed in the heart and are linked to cardioprotection; however, no one has attempted to link the protection elicited by heat stress (HS) to opioids. Therefore, we investigated the effect of an opiate receptor antagonist, naloxone, on HS-induced cardioprotection. Anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to HS (42 degrees C for 20 min) with and without naloxone pretreatment and were allowed to recover for 48 h. They then underwent 30 min of ischemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion. An acute HS group was given an intravenous bolus of naloxone (3 mg/kg) 10 min before index ischemia. Infarct size (IS), expressed as a percentage of the area at risk (IS/AAR), was determined. The right heart was excised for analysis of HSP content by Western blot. Heat-shocked rats showed significant reductions in IS/AAR versus control (16 +/- 3 vs. 58 +/- 4%, P < 0.001). Pretreatment with naloxone before HS attenuated the protective effects in a dose-dependent fashion, with significant attenuation of protection occurring at 15 mg/kg naloxone versus heat shock (42 +/- 6 vs. 16 +/- 3%, P < 0.001). Acute treatment with naloxone (3 mg/kg) 48 h after recovery from HS also significantly attenuated the delayed protective effect (47 +/- 4 vs. 16 +/- 3%, P < 0.001). No difference was seen in the level of HSP70 induced in the different groups. We conclude that heat shock-induced cardioprotection can be attenuated by naloxone, an opiate receptor antagonist, without reducing the levels of certain HSPs. These results suggest there may be a link between the endogenous release of opioids and HS that mediates cardioprotection.