La réponse au choc thermique est un mécanisme de défense largement décrit au cours duquel l’expression préférentielle des protéines de choc thermique Hsp aide la cellule à récupérer des dommages causés par l’hyperthermie, comme la dénaturation/agrégation des protéines. Une des conséquences du choc thermique mise en évidence au laboratoire, est l’activation du facteur de transcription NFκB. Cette activation a lieu pendant la période de récupération suivant ce stress. Par comparaison de la réponse au choc thermique de cellules témoins ou déficientes en NFκB, nous avons cherché à étudier les conséquences de l’activation de NFκB par le choc thermique. Nous avons montré que NFκB active un mécanisme augmentant la survie des cellules soumises à une hyperthermie : l’autophagie. L’absence d’induction de ce mécanisme conduit à la mort par nécrose des cellules déplétées en NFκB. Dans ces cellules, l’induction artificielle de l’autophagie restaure une survie normale au stress thermique. Nous avons montré que les principaux régulateurs de l’autophagie (complexes mTOR et PI3Kinase de Classe III) ne sont pas des cibles modulées par NFκB, en réponse à une hyperthermie. En revanche, l’accumulation de protéines dénaturées voire agrégées est un élément primordial pour l’activation de l’autophagie-dépendante de NFκB. En effet dans les cellules déficientes pour NFκB, contrairement aux cellules témoins, l’accumulation de protéines agrégées induite par le traitement hyperthermique, mais aussi par l’expression de formes mutées d’HspB5, n’est pas résorbée ; ceci indique que le contrôle qualité des protéines est altéré dans ces cellules. Cette altération pourrait provenir d’un défaut de formation du complexe BAG3-HspB8 en absence de NFκB. En effet, nous avons montré que la forte expression des gènes bag3 et hspb8, induite suite au stress thermique, est dépendante de NFκB et que l’accumulation du complexe BAG3-HspB8, observé dans les cellules témoins soumises au choc thermique, est inhibée dans les cellules déficientes pour NFκB. Nos résultats démontrent que NFκB induit un processus autophagique en réponse à l’agrégation protéique induite par l’hyperthermie. Ce mécanisme, nécessitant la formation du complexe BAG3-HspB8, augmente la survie des cellules probablement par l’élimination des protéines agrégées générées au cours du stress thermique / The heat shock response is a widely described defense mechanism during which the preferential expression of heat shock proteins (Hsps) helps the cell to recover from thermal damages such as protein denaturation/aggregation. We have previously reported that NFκB transcription factor is activated during the recovery period after heat shock. Thus, we aimed to analyze the consequences of NFκB activation during heat shock recovery, by comparing the heat shock response of NFκB competent and incompetent cells. We demonstrated that NFκB plays a major and crucial role during the heat shock response by activating autophagy, which increases the survival of heat-treated cells. Indeed, we observed that autophagy is not activated during heat shock recovery leading to an increased level of necrotic cell death in NFκB incompetent cells. Moreover, when autophagy is artificially induced in these cells, the heat shock cytotoxicity is turned back to normal. We showed that the key regulators of autophagy (mTOR complex, and class III PI3Kinase complex) are not regulated by NFκB after heat shock. In contrast, we observed that aberrantly folded/aggregated proteins accumulation is a prime event in the activation of NFκB -mediated autophagy. Moreover, NFκB -depleted cells accumulate higher levels of protein aggregates induced by either heat shock treatment or mutated form of HspB5, indicating that the protein quality control process seem to be altered in these cells. This alteration could be caused by a defect in BAG3-HspB8 complex formation in NFκB -depleted cells. We demonstrated that heat shock treatment induces a NFB-dependent overexpression of the bag3 and hspb8 genes. Moreover, the accumulation of BAG3-HspB8 complex in heat shocked NFκB -competent cells is inhibited by NFκB depletion. Our findings how / prove / highlight revealed that NFκB -induced autophagy during heat shock recovery is an additional response to protein denaturation/aggregation induced by heat shock. This process depends on the BAG3-HspB8 complex formation and increases cell survival, probably through clearance of aggregated proteins

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / A biocerÃmica de hidroxiapatita (HA) Ã um material biocompatÃvel no corpo humano e pode ser uma importante ferramenta em aplicaÃÃes de hipertermia para o tratamento no cÃncer Ãsseo. Neste trabalho investigou-se o efeito da adiÃÃo de Ãons de ferro na estrutura da HA com o objetivo de obter uma biocerÃmica que venha ser utilizado no tratamento hipertÃrmico contra o cÃncer. As amostras foram preparadas pelo mÃtodo cerÃmico e caracterizadas pela difraÃÃo de raios-X, espectroscopia do infravermelho (FTIR), microdureza Vickers, medidas elÃtricas (constante e perda dielÃtrica) e microscopia eletrÃnica de varredura (MEV). AtravÃs da difraÃÃo de raios-X verificou-se a presenÃa da fase Ca2Fe2O5 que apresenta uma estrutura denominada Brownmillerite. Verificou-se melhoria das propriedades mecÃnicas e elÃtricas com o aumento da temperatura de sinterizaÃÃo. Observou-se que o aumento da concentraÃÃo de ferro e da temperatura de sinterizaÃÃo ocasionaram mudanÃas morfolÃgicas nos grÃos. / The bioceramic called hydroxyapatite (HA) is a biocompatible material which can be an important tool in hyperthermia applications for the treatment of bony cancer. In this work the effect of the addition of Fe ions in the structure of the HA was investigated with the objective of obtaining a magnetic bioceramic to be used in the hyperthermic treatment against the cancer. The samples were prepared by the ceramic method and characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Vickers hardness, electric properties (constant and loss dielectric) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The presence of the phase Ca2Fe2O5 was verified by X-ray diffraction analysis, showing a structure Brownmillerite. The improvement of the mechanical and electric properties was verified with the increase of the sintering temperature. It was observed that the increase of the Fe addition and the sintering temperature caused morphologic changes in the grains.

Neste trabalho, pós magnéticos nanoestruturados de PrxFe94-xB6 (x = 6, 8, 10 e 12) foram preparados a partir da combinação do processo de hidrogenação, desproporção, dessorção e recombinação (HDDR) e moagem de alta energia entre uma liga em estado bruto de fusão (Pr14Fe80B6) e Fe-α em pó. As nanopartículas produzidas apresentaram propriedades magnéticas e microestruturais comparáveis aos estudos realizados em hipertermia. O tempo ideal para obtenção de nanopartículas magnéticas é de 5 horas (a 900 rpm). Foi constatado que quanto maior o tempo de moagem, maior o percentual de carbono nas partículas (0,05 - 3,43 % C). O carbono é proveniente do ácido oléico adicionado como surfactante na etapa de moagem. Os nanocompósitos obtidos exibiram forças coercivas entre 80 Oe (6,5 kAm-1) e 170 Oe (13,5 kAm-1), e momentos magnéticos variando entre 81 - 129 Am2kg-1. A partir da difração de raios X foram identificadas apenas duas fases em todas as amostras: Fe-α e a fase magnética Pr2Fe14B. Nanopartículas isoladas com diâmetro aproximado de 20nm foram analisadas. Todas as composições estudadas apresentaram aquecimento proveniente da exposição a um campo magnético alternado (f = 222 kHz e Hmax ~3,7 kAm-1) comparáveis aos reportados na literatura. As variações de temperaturas (ΔT) dos pós foram: 51 K referente à composição de Pr6Fe88B6, 41 K para Pr8Fe86B6, 38 K no composto com 10% at. Pr (Pr10Fe84B6) e 34 K em Pr12Fe82B6. As taxas de absorção específicas estimadas foram de 201 Wkg-1 para a composição Pr6Fe88B6, 158 Wkg-1 para a composição Pr8Fe86B6 e 114 Wkg-1 para as composições Pr10Fe84B6 e Pr12Fe82B6. / In this work, PrxFe94-xB6 (x = 6, 8, 10 and 12) nanostructured powders were prepared by a combination of hydrogenation, disproportionation, desorption and recombination (HDDR) process with high energy milling applied to the mixture of an as-cast alloy (Pr14Fe80B6) and α-Fe. The produced nanoparticles showed magnetic properties comparable to those reported in hyperthermia studies. The optimal time to obtain the magnetic nanoparticles is 5 hours (at 900 rpm). It was verified that longer milling times cause an increase in carbon percentage on the particles. The carbon is derived from oleic acid added as a surfactant in the milling step. The nanocomposites exhibit coercive force ranging from 80 Oe (6.5 kAm-1) to 170 Oe (13.5 kAm-1) and magnetic moments in the range of 81 129 Am2kg-1. From the x-ray diffraction analyses, only two phases were found in all samples: α-Fe and the magnetic phase Pr2Fe14B. Individual nanoparticles with diameter of about 20 nm were verified. The samples studied presented heating when exposed to an alternating magnetic field (f = 222 kHz e Hmax ~3.7 kAm-1) comparable to reported in literature. Temperature variations (ΔT) of the powders were: 51 K for Pr6Fe88B6, 41 K for Pr8Fe86B6, 38 K for Pr10Fe84B6 and T = 34 K for Pr12Fe82B6. The specific absorption rates (SARs) of the powders were 201 Wkg-1 for Pr6Fe88B6 composition, 158 Wkg-1 on the composition Pr8Fe86B6, and 114 Wkg-1 for Pr10Fe84B6 and Pr12Fe82B6 compositions.

Health-care associated infections (HAIs) on medical implant surfaces present a unique challenge to physicians due to their existence in the biofilm phenotype which defends the pathogen from antibiotics and the host’s own immune system. A 2004 study in the U.S. showed that 2 to 4% of implanted devices become infected and must be treated via surgical explantation—a process that is both expensive and dangerous for the patient. A potential, alternative strategy to antibiotics and surgery is to use heat delivered wirelessly by a magnetic coating. This thermal treatment strategy has the potential to kill these HAIs directly on the implanted surface and without the patient requiring surgery. This thesis introduces an iron oxide nanoparticle composite coating that is wirelessly heated using energy converted from an alternating magnetic field. Iron oxide nanoparticle composites are demonstrated to be remotely heated in both hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymer composites. In designing the composite coating, multiple parameters were investigated for how they impact the normalized heating rate of the material. Specifically, the amount of iron in the coating, the coating thickness, the polymer type, and the orientation of the coating relative to the applied magnetic field were investigated. Power output was shown to increase proportionally with iron loading whereas nearly two times the amount of power output was observed for the same coatings positioned parallel to magnetic field lines versus those positioned perpendicular—a result believed to be due to magnetic shielding from neighboring particles. Microscope slides coated with 226 µm of composite delivered up to 10.9 W cm⁻² of power when loaded with 30.0% Fe and positioned parallel in a 2.3 kA m⁻¹AMF. Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms were grown directly on these coatings and heated for times ranging from 1 to 30 min and temperatures from 50 to 80 °C. Less than one order of magnitude of cell death was observed for temperatures less than 60 °C and heat shock times less than 5 min. Up to six orders of magnitude reduction in viable bacteria were observed for the most extreme heat shock (80 °C for 30 min). Introducing this wirelessly heated composite into the body has the potential to kill harmful bacteria but at the risk of thermally damaging the surrounding tissue and organs if the treatment is not designed and predicted intelligently. Thermal energy will propagate differently depending on the surrounding heat sink, with convective heat sinks (i.e. those due to blood flow) requiring much more power to reach the same surface temperature than a conduction-only heat sink. To study how heat is transferred in biological tissues, a robust, poly(vinyl alcohol) tissue phantom was developed that can be poured to accommodate any geometry, is volume stable in water and under thermal stress, and can be modified with inert particle fillers to adjust its thermal conductivity from 0.475 to 0.795 W m⁻¹°C⁻¹. In vitro heat transfer was measured through this hydrogel tissue phantom with at least 10 °C of temperature rise, penetrating 5 mm of tissue in less than 120 sec for an 80 °C boundary condition. A computational model was used to solve three-dimensional energy transfer through a combined fluid mimic/tissue mimic heat sink spanning the same surface boundary condition. The model was validated with experimental models using a custom designed heat transfer station. This scenario is applicable in the instance where the same coating is subject to starkly different heat sinks: half subject to convective heat loss, half to conductive heat loss. Based on these conditions, a magnetic coating would need to be designed that has a power gradient up to 15 times larger on the fluid half versus the other.

The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is known to be a major integrative region within the forebrain. It is composed of functionally different subgroups of neurons, including the parvocellular neurons that project to important autonomic targets in the brainstem e.g. the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) and the intermediolateral cell column (IML) of the spinal cord, where the sympathetic preganglionic motor-neurons are located. These regions are critical in cardiovascular regulation; hence, these projections are likely to mediate the effects of the PVN on sympathetic nerve activity and hence may contribute to the cardiovascular changes induced by physiological stimuli such as elevations in body temperature. The neurotransmitter such as nitric oxide (NO) is important in cardiovascular regulation and it is now emerging as a major focus of investigation in thermoregulation. One of the most striking accumulations of NO containing-neurons is in the PVN where it appears to be playing an important role in cardiovascular regulation and body fluid homeostasis. The results of the work show; 1. That spinally-projecting and nitrergic neurons in the PVN may contribute to the central pathways activated by exposure to a hot environment. 2. Suggests that nitrergic neurons and spinally- projecting neurons in the brainstem may make a small contribution to the central pathways mediating the reflex responses initiated by hyperthermia. 3. The present study also illustrates that these PVN neurons projecting to the RVLM may make a smaller contribution than the spinal-projecting neurons in the PVN to the cardiovascular responses initiated by heat. 4. The results of my studies showed that the microinjection of muscimol to inhibit the neuronal activity in the PVN abolished the reflex decrease in renal blood flow following an elevation of core body temperature. In addition, this effect was specific to the PVN, since microinjections of muscimol into areas outside the PVN were not effective. These findings demonstrate that the PVN is critical for this reflex cardiovascular response initiated by hyperthermia. In conclusion, PVN is critical for the reflex decrease in renal blood flow during elevations in core body temperature. We hypothesise that projections from the PVN to the spinal cord and the RVLM contribute to the reflex cardiovascular responses. Additionally, nitrergic neurons in the PVN may contribute but the physiological role of those neurons in the reflex responses elicited by hyperthermia needs to be investigated.

<p>Imbalance between oxygen consumption and supply often makes tumors hypoxic (Bristow and Hill 2008). Tumor hypoxia is significantly correlated with aggressive tumor growth, ineffective response to radiation and chemotherapy, and as a result, poor patient prognosis. Hyperthermia (HT) is a strong adjuvant treatment to overcome these challenges of tumor hypoxia because it causes tumor reoxygenation at temperatures lower than 43ºC (Song, Park, and Griffin 2001). However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of how HT enhances tumor oxygenation have not been elucidated. Here we determine that 1 hour HT activates hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and its downstream targets, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) in tumors. Consistent with HIF-1 activation and upregulation of its downstream genes, HT also enhances tumor perfusion/vascularization and decreases oxygen consumption rates. As a result, tumor hypoxia is reduced after HT suggesting that these physiological changes contribute to HT-induced tumor reoxygenation. Since HIF-1 is a potent regulator of tumor vascularization and metabolism, our findings suggest that HIF-1 plays a role in HT-induced tumor reoxygenation by transactivating its downstream targets. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that NADPH oxidase-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production upregulates HIF-1 after HT. Further, we determine that this pathway is initiated by increased transcription of NADPH oxidase-1 (NOX1) through the ERK pathway.</p><p>A major research effort at Duke focuses on combinations of HT and doxorubicin in the treatment of locally advanced breast and other cancers. Thus, we investigated whether there are HIF-1 responses to doxorubicin treatment. We reveal that doxorubicin also activates HIF-1. Unlike HT, doxorubicin-induced HIF-1 promotes persistent tumor angiogenesis. We also reveal that the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1)/inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) pathway causes HIF-1&#945; accumulation in an oxygen-independent manner. We show that activated STAT1 upregulates iNOS expression and promotes nitric oxide (NO) production in tumor cells resulting in HIF-1&#945; stabilization. We further determine that both iNOS inhibitor, 1400W and STAT1 inhibitor, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) significantly decrease intracellular NO production and suppress doxorubicin-induced normoxic HIF-1&#945; accumulation.</p><p>HIF-1 is often considered a promising therapeutic target because of its role in tumor progression (Semenza 2003) and therapy resistance (Moeller et al. 2004). However, our findings suggest that HIF-1 plays a pleiotropic role in response to HT and chemotherapy. Therefore, to preferentially take advantage of HT-induced HIF-1 activation and also to suppress its deleterious effects induced by chemotherapy or as we have previously reported, by radiation (Moeller et al. 2004), HIF-1 inhibition needs to be carefully regulated in a time-sensitive manner to achieve optimal therapeutic effects.</p> / Dissertation

Magnetic fluid hyperthermia is a potential therapy for achieving interstitial hyperthermia and is currently under clinical trials. This approach is based on the instillation of magnetic nanoparticles at the tumour site, which dissipate heat when exposed to an alternating magnetic field. This procedure leads to a local increase of temperature and induction of tumour death or regression. Nanoparticles of metallic iron are potential heating agents for this therapy, but rely on the presence of a protecting coat that avoids reactions with their environment. In this work, iron nanospheres and iron nanowires with a graphite coat are explored for this purpose. From these two nanostructures, the nanospheres are shown to have a greater potential in terms of heat dissipation. The graphite shell is further investigated as an interface for conjugation with other molecules of relevance such as drugs and fluorescent probes. The effect of acidic treatments on the magnetic and surface properties of the nanospheres is systematically studied and a suitable method to generate carboxylic functionalities on the nanoparticle surface alongside with a good preservation of the magnetic properties is developed. These carboxylic groups are shown to work as a bridge for conjugation with a model molecule, methylamine, as well as with a fluorescent dye, allowing the detection of the nanoparticles in cells by means of optical methods. The carboxylic functionalities are further explored for the conjugation with the anti-cancer drug cisplatin, where the amount of drug loaded per particle is found to be dependent on the density of free carboxylic groups. The release of the drug in physiological salt solutions is time and temperature dependent, making them particularly interesting for multi-modal anti-cancer therapies, where concomitant hyperthermia and chemotherapy could be achieved. Their potential for such therapies is shown in vitro by inducing hyperthermia in cell suspensions containing these nanoparticles. These results are finally translated to a three dimensional cell culture model where the in vitro growth of tumour spheroids is inhibited. The developed nanostructures have a great potential for therapeutic approaches based on the synergistic effects of hyperthermia and chemotherapy.

Apoptosis is a conserved program of cell death that promotes organism homeostasis in all stages of life. Two main pathways activate caspases, which are cysteinyl-aspartate proteases that execute apoptosis. The extrinsic pathway is initiated by cell surface death receptors, while the intrinsic pathway is initiated by intracellular signals that cause permeabilization of the outer mitochondrial membrane (MOMP). The Bcl-2 protein family regulates MOMP, which causes the release of several pro-apoptotic proteins (such as cytochrome c, Smac) into the cytosol. Bcl-2 proteins share homology in up to four "BH" domains and are subdivided into three subgroups. Pro-apoptotic Bax and Bak catalyze pore formation in the mitochondria, while anti-apoptotic members (Bcl-2, Mcl-1) inhibit MOMP. The third subgroup, termed BH3-only, promotes MOMP by either antagonizing Bcl-2 proteins or by directly activating Bax/Bak, and initiate apoptosis in response to various stressors, including heat shock (HS). Hyperthermia or acute HS reportedly induces apoptosis through caspase-2-mediated cleavage of BID, engaging the intrinsic pathway. However, additional evidence suggests that this pathway could represent an amplification loop. Thus we hypothesized that during HS, another BH3-only protein such as BIM, that does not require cleavage, could engage MOMP. Herein, we report that BIM mediates an alternative HS-induced apoptosis pathway. Cells lacking BIM are resistant to HS and exhibit better short and long-term survival than either Bid[superscript -/-] or Bax[superscript -/-]Bak[superscript -/-]. Moreover, caspase-2 induces apoptosis in Bim[superscript -/-] but not Bid[superscript -/-] cells, implying that caspase-2 kills exclusively through BID. Interestingly, Bim[superscript -/-] and Bax[superscript -/-]Bak[superscript -/-] cells are entirely resistant to MOMP, but the Bax[superscript -/-]Bak[superscript -/-] cells still undergo caspase-3 activation and remain partially sensitive to HS, indicating that BIM triggers caspase-3 activation upstream of mitochondria. Thus, BIM plays an important role in HS-induced apoptosis. Hyperthermia has clinical applications for the treatment of solid tumors. Unfortunately, a practical limitation is the development of thermotolerance, which confers resistance not only to subsequent HS but also to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Therefore, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved both in heat-induced apoptosis and thermotolerance could lead to new therapeutic interventions. Here we also show evidence for a putative role for the stress kinase JNK signaling pathway in the regulation of thermotolerance. / text

This dissertation presents enabling technologies to fabricate thermo-responsive polymer composite based Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) devices. LOC devices, also known as micro-total-analytical systems (microTAS) or microfluidic devices can amalgamate miniaturized laboratory functions on a single chip. This significant size reduction decreases the amount of required fluid volumes down to nano or pico-liters. The main commercial application of LOC devices is the biomedical fields. However, these devices are anticipated to make a technological revolution similar to the way miniaturization changed computers. In fact, medical and chemical analyses are predicted to shift from room-sized laboratories to hand-held portable devices. This dissertation is divided into three technologies. First, a series of terpolymer systems were synthesized and characterized to fabricate crosslinked coatings for phototunable swelling and create chemically patterned regions in order to conjugate cationic markers, proteins, or nanoparticles to the terpolymer coating. Second, antifouling surfaces were fabricated using magnetic thermo-responsive hydrogel structures via soft lithography. The structures were remote control activated with the use of AC magnetic fields. Finally, in order for LOC devices to fulfill its promise of bringing a laboratory to a hand-held device, they will have to be integrated with CMOS technology. Packaging will play a crucial role in this process. The last section will focus on the importance of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch in multi-chip modules. For the first technology, multi-functionalized terpolymer systems have been developed comprising of three units: N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), a stimuli responsive monomer that swells and collapses in response to temperature; methacryloxybenzophenone (MaBP), a photo-crosslinkable monomer that is activated at λ = 365 nm; and phenacyl methacrylate (PHEm), a photolabile protected functional group that generates localized free carboxyl groups in response to deprotection at λ = 254 nm. The multifunctional terpolymers can be spin-casted to form thin films of well-defined thickness, photo-crosslinked by a long UV wavelength light (λ = 365 nm) to form distinct structural patterns, and subsequently photo-chemically modified by a short UV wavelength light (λ = 254 nm). The photocleavage reaction by UV irradiation allows the production of free carboxylic groups that can be used to conjugate cationic markers, proteins, or nanoparticles to the terpolymer coating. Furthermore, the free carboxyl groups can be used to locally tune the swelling characteristics and transition temperature of the coatings. For the second technology, when Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles are integrated into PNIPAAm based composite systems, their resultant hyperthermia behavior becomes an ideal mechanism for remote controlled actuation. In this work, nano Fe3O4 octopods were seeded in fabricated PNIPAAm hydrogel micro-actuators. When the magnetic hydrogel structures were exposed to a magnetic field strength of 63 kA/m at a frequency of 300 kHz, the hydrogel micro-beams underwent a buckling effect when the field was absent and an unbuckling effect when the field was present. The hydrogel micro-beams were fabricated at an approximate distance from one another developing micromanipulating surfaces that were remote control activated. The response time, heating efficiency, and magnetic behavior were thoroughly studied. Lastly, micron sized polystyrene beads were exposed to the antifouling surfaces and movement of the beads was observed as the magnetic hydrogel micro-beams underwent their physical changes. For the third technology, a major reason of device failure in multi-chip module assemblies is a CTE mismatch between the underfill encapsulant material and the integrated circuit chip. Some of the failure mechanisms of microelectronic packaging due to CTE mismatch include fractures, delamination, or cracks through the device. In this section, the CTE of a commercially available underfill material is greatly reduced by loading the polymer resin material with hollow glass beads, to realize an overall effective CTE of 6.6 ppm/°C. Furthermore, the newly developed composite material exhibited outstanding thermomechanical stability at high temperatures beyond 150°C by holding a 3X lower CTE and a higher glass transition temperature.

The elucidation of the molecular mechanism of the cell response to moderate heating is of importance for understanding the events that occur in the cell upon use of heating for therapeutic purpose or during illnesses that are associated with fever. The aim of this work was to investigate and to compare the effects of mild (fever) and severe hyperthermia on functional properties of oxidative phosphorylation system in normal tissue mitochondria. Modular kinetic analysis for the first time was applied to evaluate effects of hyperthermia on oxidative phosphorylation in rat heart and liver mitochondria. We demonstrated that changes in mitochondrial functions induced by mild hyperthermia (42 ºC) are reversible but more severe hyperthermia (45 ºC) causes partially irreversible uncoupling and inhibition of mitochondrial respiration in state 3, hyperthermia remarkably (3.6-2.1 fold) activates ROS generation in heart mitochondria and that maximal increase in rate of H2O2 production and lipid peroxidation is observed in the fever temperature range. We show that the response of liver mitochondria and hepatocytes to hyperthermia is to certain extent dependent on gender and temperature. Specific differences of male rat liver and heart mitochondrial components phase transitions have been revealed by DSC analysis. / Ląstelių atsako į nuosaikią hipertermiją molekulinio mechanizmo išaiškinimas yra labai svarbus norint suprasti procesus, kurie vyksta ląstelėse jas kaitinant gydymo tikslais ar organizmui karščiuojant. Šio darbo tikslas buvo nustatyti ir palyginti švelnios (karščiavimo) ir šiurkščios hipertermijos poveikį oksidacinės fosforilinimo sistemos funkcijoms normalių audinių mitochondrijose. Pirmą kartą panaudojome modulių kinetinę analizę hipertermijos poveikiui širdies ir kepenų mitochondrijų oksidacinio fosforilinimo sistemai tirti. Mes nustatėme, kad švelnios hipertermijos (42 ºC) poveikis širdies mitochondrijų funkcijoms yra grįžtamas, bet šiurkštesnė hipertermija (45 ºC) sukelia dalinai negrįžtamą kvėpavimo ir fosforilinimo atskyrimą bei mitochondrijų kvėpavimo greičio trečioje metabolinėje būsenoje slopinimą. Hipertermija didino ROS gamybos greitį ir lipidų peroksidaciją, kurie buvo didžiausi karščiavimo temperatūroje. Nustatėme, kad kepenų mitochondrijų ir hepatocitų atsakas į hipertermiją priklauso nuo žiurkės lyties ir temperatūros. Atlikome palyginamąjį širdies ir kepenų mitochondrijų sandų fazinių virsmų analizę diferencine skenuojamaja kalorimetrija ir nustatėme būdingus skirtumus.