Deferoxamine affects heat shock protein expression in heart after intracerebral hemorrhage in aged rats

Cardiac dysfunction can occur after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). This study examined the expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in the heart after ICH in aged rats and whether deferoxamine (DFX), an iron chelator, affects HSP expression. Male Fischer 344 rats (18 months old) received an injection of 100 μl autologous blood into the right caudate, whereas sham-operated rats had a needle insertion. The rats were treated with DFX or vehicle at 2 and 6 h after ICH and then every 12 h for 3 days. Rats were killed 3 days after ICH, and the hearts were sampled for Western blot analysis of HSP-27 and HSP-32. Western blotting showed that levels of HSP-32 were reduced in the heart after ICH (p<0.05), and this reduction was normalized by DFX (p<0.05). DFX had no effects on heart HSP-32 levels in sham-operated rats. ICH also resulted in a reduction in HSP-27 (p<0.05), but DFX treatment reduced HSP-27 further (p<0.05). In addition, DFX reduced HSP-27 levels in sham rats. In conclusion, ICH causes HSP-27 and -32 reductions in the heart of aged rats. Deferoxamine treatment has different effects on the expression of HSP-27 and HSP-32.