Alex F. Chen

 chenal@msu.edu

Research Interests

The long-term research interest of our laboratory is in the areas of vascular biology, pharmacology, and gene and cell therapies. Our current objective, which is a step toward attaining our long-term goal, is to determine the effects of gene and cell therapies on vascular functions in diseased animal models. The disease targets include diabetic and hypertensive vascular dysfunction, imparied diabetic wound healing, and ischemic stroke. Our ultimate goal is to translate basic research to clinical arena for gene and cell therapies of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Comprehensive approaches are utilized to study transgene expression and its effects, includign molecular, biochemical, mophological, and pharmacological techniques. The methods include adenoviral vector propogation ex vivo and in vivo gene transfer, immunohistochemistry, radioimmnoassay, immunoblotting, isometric tension recordings, and the use of both transgenic and gene knockout animals.

Current Research Projects

1. Arterial and venous dysfunction in salt-sensitive hypertensive rats and mice
2. Atherosclerotic mechanisms in diabetic mice
3. Gene therapy of impaired wound healing in diabetic mice
4. Ischemic stroke - reactive oxygen free radical mechanisms and therapeutic interventions in rats and mice
   

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my research.

Selected Publications

Search all publications in the NCBI Journal Database

Du YH, Chen AF. A "love triangle" elicited by electrochemistry amongst brain, heart and kidney — complex interactions between cardiac sympathetic afferent and chemoreceptor reflexes. Journal of Applied Physiology 102, 9–10, 2007.

Hong H. Zeng JS, Kreleun DL, Kaufman DI, Chen AF. Atorvastatin protects against cerebral infarction via inhibiting NADPH oxidase-derived superoxide in ischemic stroke. American Journal of Physiology (Heart and Circulatory Physiology) 291, H2210-H2215, 2006.

Kidd GA, Hong H, Majid A, Kaufman DI, Chen AF. Inhibition of brain GTP cyclohydrolase I and tetrahydrobiopterin attenuates cerebral infarction via reducing iNOS and peroxynitrite in ischemic stroke. Stroke 36, 2705-2711, 2005.