Dexamethasone induction of a heat stress response

Dexamethasone is a potent, synthetic member of the glucocorticoid class of steroid drugs with pleiotropic effects on multiple signaling pathways, and has been widely used in many disorders during the last 50 years. Recent studies sustain a role of this drug in the heat stress response, increasing the levels of heat-shock proteins, particularly under certain stress conditions. More conflictive is the role of dexamethasone on the levels of endoplasmic reticulum chaperons. However, these effects may certainly contribute to explain the therapeutic benefits of dexamethasone in cardiac transplant, sepsis, cancer, and other pathologic disorders associated with stress affecting the folding of proteins. In this chapter, we review the methods that can be used to evaluate the effect of dexamethasone in the heat stress response both in patients and animal and cellular models.