Current Research Interests

    The research efforts of this laboratory involve the investigation of microvascular physiology in health and disease. Our studies, which are funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, are focused on the following goals:

(1)    define the microvascular control mechanisms involved in the regulation of tissue blood flow.

(2)    explore the functional interaction between local microvascular control mechanisms and sympathetic nerve activity.

(3)    identify the changes in microvascular structure and function that accompany rapid tissue growth during juvenile maturation.

(4)    define the mechanisms responsible for increased vascular resistance (and therefore blood pressure) in salt-sensitive hypertension.

(5)    identify the microvascular deficits associated with high dietary salt intake, and to clarify their underlying mechanisms and functional significance.

    Much of our work toward these goals is centered on the endothelium and its ability to influence microvascular tone through the release of various chemical factors. These studies are conducted in skeletal muscle and in the intestine, and rely on the use of in-vivo microscopy in combination with various optical and micropipette-based techniques to directly evaluate microvascular function. In addition, we have recently developed a method of isolating and culturing endothelial cells from specific segments of the microcirculation, which will allow us to more rigorously study the endothelial cell signaling pathways involved in the development of cardiovascular disease. These in-vivo and in-vitro scientific approaches are complemented by our use of Western Analysis to study the expression of various proteins in the microvascular wall, and by state-of-the-art image analysis techniques.