Fusion Protein Delivery using Thermosensitive in situ gel depot for the treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Heat shock proteins (Hsp) are important intracellular proteins acting as molecular chaperones by assisting in the folding of cellular proteins for maintenance of proper functional conformation. They are known to be expressed during ischemic heart disease conditions as the result of heat shock, hypoxia, reperfusion, and oxidative stress, and prevent apoptosis of myocytes after ischemia/reperfusion injury. Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) is a member of the small Hsp family of proteins with molecular weight of approximately 27kDa, a major phosphorus protein during all muscle contraction, and known to protect against myocardial infarction, acting by interfering with key components of the apoptotic signaling pathway involving caspase activation and apoptosis.