Heat Shock Proteins and Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease, and its prevalence continues to rise and can increase the risk for the progression of microvascular (such as nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy) and also macrovascular complications. Diabetes is a condition in which the oxidative stress and inflammation rise. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a highly conserved family of proteins that are expressed by all cells exposed to environmental stress, and they have diverse functions. In patients with diabetes, the expression and levels of HSPs decrease, but these chaperones can aid in improving some complications of diabetes, such as oxidative stress and inflammation. (The suppression of some HSPs is associated with a generalized increase in tissue inflammation.) In this review, we summarize the current understanding of HSPs in diabetes as well as their complications, and we also highlight their potential role as therapeutic targets in diabetes. (C) 2016 Canadian Diabetes Association.