Heat Shock Proteins and the Role of Nutritional Supplements to Preserve and Build Muscle

Abstract There are clear benefits of physical activity and especially exercise training on performance, including adaptation of muscle mass and strength. Maintenance of skeletal muscle mass is determined by a fine balance between protein synthesis and degradation. Loss of muscle mass ensues when degradation exceeds protein synthesis, which is observed in numerous conditions, including immobilization and age-related sarcopenia. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a family of highly conserved proteins that contribute to cellular protection, protein homeostasis, and survival against a variety of environmental and metabolic stresses. Some HSPs have been suggested for roles controlling skeletal muscle mass, and they may play a fundamental role in skeletal muscle function. Conversely, inability to induce individual HSPs could have deleterious effects on skeletal muscle protection and tolerance to external stressors. Both acute and chronic exercise induces HSP expression. As a physiological tool, physical exercise can be considered the safest strategy to enhance HSP levels in skeletal muscle. Studies on the modulation of skeletal muscle HSP levels using antioxidant and dietary supplementation strategies have provided contradictory results and warrant further investigation.