The expression of heat shock protein 60 in myocardium of patients with chronic atrial fibrillation

Objective Cardiomyocytes respond to stress with the expression of different heat shock proteins (HSP). HSP60 is induced by various stress factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of HSP60 in human atrial fibrillation (AF). Method Right atrial samples from 14 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery were excised and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. Eight patients had chronic AF and six patients were in sinus rhythm. The HSP60 protein level was determined by SDS-PAGE, Western blot and quantified by optical densitometry according to the immunoreactive bands of actin. Results In myocardial samples from patients with chronic AF, we found a more than 2.5-fold increase in HSP60 expression compared to atrial myocardium of patients in sinus rhythm. Conclusion This result indicates an up regulation of HSP60 in response to chronic atrial fibrillation.