ACCLIMATIZATION, PRECONDITIONING AND HEAT-SHOCK PROTEINS

During prior acclimatization, mineworkers acquire tolerance against th e adverse effects of working in a warm environment. In this article, t he possible involvement of heat shock proteins as mediators of acclima tization is proposed. Acclimatization is compared with preconditioning . Preconditioning of isolated cells or organs by prior exposure to a t emperature higher than normal or exposure to an ischaemic insult endow tolerance on them when later confronted with a severe ischaemic stres s. This tolerance is possibly mediated by heal shock proteins induced by the heating or ischaemic preconditioning episode. Functioning of th e induced heat shock proteins may therefore underlie the protective me chanisms in both acclimatization and preconditioning.