Targeted Delivery of Recombinant Heat Shock Protein 27 to Cardiomyocytes Promotes Recovery from Myocardial Infarction

Ischemic heart disease, especially myocardial infarction (MI), is the leading cause of death worldwide. Apoptotic mechanisms are thought to play a significant role in cardiomyocyte death after MI. Increased production of heat shock proteins (Hsps) in cardiomyocytes is a normal response to promote tolerance and to reduce cell damage. Hsp27 is considered to be a therapeutic option for the treatment of ischemic heart disease due to its protective effects on hypoxia-induced apoptosis. Despite its antiapoptotic effects, the lack of strategies to deliver Hsp27 to the heart tissue in vivo limits its clinical applicability. In this study, we utilized an antibody against the angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor, which is expressed immediately after ischemia/reperfusion in the heart of MI rats. To achieve cardiomyocyte-targeted Hsp27 delivery after ischemia/reperfusion, we employed the immunoglobulin-binding dimer ZZ, a modified domain of protein A, in conjunction with the AT1 receptor antibody. Using the AT1 receptor antibody, we achieved systemic delivery of ZZ-TAT-GFP fusion protein into the heart of MI rats. This approach enabled selective delivery of Hsp27 to cardiomyocytes, rescued cells from apoptosis, reduced the area of fibrosis, and improved cardiac function in the rat MI model, thus suggesting its applicability as a cardiomyocyte-targeted protein delivery system to inhibit apoptosis induced by ischemic injury.