Hyperthermia: from diagnostic and treatments to new discoveries

Recent Pat Biotechnol. 2012 Dec;6(3):172-83. doi: 10.2174/1872208311206030172.

Abstract

Hyperthermia is an important approach for the treatment of several diseases. Hyperthermia is also thought to induce hypertrophy of skeletal muscles in vitro and in vivo, and has been used as a therapeutic tool for millennia. In the first part of our work, we revise several relevant patents related to the utilization of hyperthermia for the treatment and diagnostic of human diseases. In the second part, we present exciting new data on the effects of forced and natural overexpression of HSP72, using murine in vitro (muscle cells) and ex vivo (primary skeletal muscles) models. These studies help to demonstrate that hyperthermia effects are orchestrated by tight coupling between gene expression, protein function, and intracellular Ca2+ signaling pathways with a key role for calcium-induced calcium release. We hope that the review of current patents along with previous unknown information on molecular signaling pathways that underlie the hypertrophy response to hyperthermia in skeletal muscles may trigger the curiosity of scientists worldwide to explore new inventions that fully utilize hyperthermia for the treatment of muscle diseases.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • HSP72 Heat-Shock Proteins / metabolism
  • Heat-Shock Proteins / metabolism
  • Heat-Shock Response / genetics
  • Homeostasis
  • Humans
  • Hyperthermia, Induced / methods*
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Molecular Chaperones
  • Muscle Cells / cytology
  • Muscle Cells / metabolism
  • Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / metabolism
  • Neoplasm Proteins / metabolism
  • Phosphorylation
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • HSP72 Heat-Shock Proteins
  • Heat-Shock Proteins
  • Hsbp1 protein, mouse
  • Molecular Chaperones
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • Calcium