Lack of protection of prior heat shock against UV-induced oxidative stress in human skin fibroblasts

The effect of prior hyperthermia on UV-induced oxidative stress was studied in human skin fibroblasts. UV radiation alone induced an increased release of superoxide anions and increased lipid peroxidation in skin fibroblasts accompanied by a rise in catalase and superoxide dismutase activities. Hyperthermia was found to induce a significant rise in the cell content of heat-shock proteins, HSP60 and HSP70, but this treatment prior to UV radiation did not influence any indicators of oxidative stress in the fibroblasts. In contrast, the combination of heat shock prior to UV exposure reduced fibroblast cell viability compared with UV radiation-exposure alone.