Hyperglycaemia and oxidative stress upregulate HSP60 & HSP70 expression in HeLa cells

Heat Shock Proteins 60 & 70 (HSP60 & HSP70) are intracellular protein that has been shown to be present at elevated levels in systemic circulation in Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Conditions that lead to its secretion, and the mechanism of its translocation from cells, have not yet been defined. The aim of this study was to determine if specific cell stressors associated with T2DM, namely hyperglycaemia and oxidative stress, result in the upregulation of HSP60 in human cells in vitro. Human HeLa cells were grown in media supplemented with 100 mM glucose, 200 μM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and 50 μM sodium azide. Initially, the effect of these treatments on cell growth rate was examined, with each treatment significantly inhibiting growth rate. LDH and MTT assays were also used to successfully demonstrate that these treatments do not significantly increase cell lysis, but do significantly impair mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity. To confirm this mitochondria specific form of inhibition, DCFDA assay were used to investigate any increases in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. All three treatments resulted in significantly increased ROS generation, with greater ROS production occurring with a greater exposure time. Interestingly, when the protein levels of HSP60 and HSP70 were measured after 3 and 7 days of exposure of the HeLa cells to 100 mM glucose, 200 μM H2O2, and 50 μM sodium azide significant induction of these two molecular stress proteins were observed ranging from 2.43-5.08 fold compared to untreated control cells.