Heat accumulation

Heat accumulation is a physiological and physical process characterized by the buildup of thermal energy within an organism or tissue, occurring when heat gain from metabolic activity or environmental absorption surpasses the capacity for heat dissipation. It is not a single molecular target but rather a systemic or localized state that significantly impacts cellular homeostasis and viability. In clinical medicine, uncontrolled heat accumulation leads to hyperthermia and heat stroke, triggering pathological cascades such as protein denaturation, oxidative stress, and programmed cell death through the ZBP1-RIPK3-MLKL pathway [18]. Conversely, in oncology, localized heat accumulation is intentionally induced via photothermal therapy (PTT) or high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to achieve tumor ablation [1, 2]. Therapeutic interventions focus on either mitigating the damage of excessive heat through agents like ulinastatin and dantrolene or enhancing heat-induced cytotoxicity in cancer cells by inhibiting protective heat shock proteins like HSP70 [7, 15]. The biological response to heat accumulation is primarily mediated by heat shock factors (HSFs) which upregulate chaperones to prevent protein aggregation [13, 14].

Other names

HyperthermiaThermal accumulationHeat stressHeat loadBody heat buildupThermoplegiaDamp heat accumulation

Pharmacological management involves stabilizing cellular membranes and inhibiting inflammatory mediators to treat heat stroke, while photothermal agents facilitate localized thermal energy absorption for targeted tumor destruction.