Background: Previous reports have indicated that HSP-72 and metallothionein mRNA undergo induction in the liver after resuscitated hemorrhagic shock. In this study we investigated whether unresuscitated shock triggers induction and whether protein induction also occurs.
Methods: Rats were subjected to resuscitated and unresuscitated shock protocols of varying severity; livers were isolated and processed for Northern, Western, and immunohistochemical analysis. Cadmium binding assay was used to measure metallothionein protein.
Results: Unresuscitated shock led to no induction of HSP-72 or metallothionein. Severe resuscitated shock led to prompt induction of HSP-72 mRNA and protein in hepatocytes, up to 20-fold over sham group; metallothionein mRNA induction appeared later than HSP-72 and did not lead to elevated protein levels. Mild resuscitated shock had little effect.
Conclusions: These findings indicate resuscitated severe shock, not shock alone, leads to induction of HSP-72 and metallothionein in the liver. Metallothionein expression lags behind HSP-72 expression.