Abstruct : Our recent studies have been focused on the expression and cytoprotective function of heat shock proteins (HSPs) mediated by their function as a molecular chaperone in digestive organs. We have reported that HSP72 (72-kDa heat shock protein, stress-inducible HSP70) has crucial function in the gastric mucosa, colonic mucosa and the liver. In the pancreas, we proved that HSP60 (60-kDa heat shock protein, chaperonin homolog) has cytoprotective function. These evidences lead us to

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... effective "chaperone -inducing therapy" including drugs , chemicals and gene therapies which might effective for disease therapy enhancing not only cytoprotective ability but also tissue restoration. In this review, we introduce our previous data.