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(Cardiovascular Pharmacology; regulation of pulmonary vascular flow; gene therapy for lung disorders)

Professor of Pharmacology
Ph.D.: Marquette University
Postdoctoral: University of Manitoba; University of Iowa

The long-term objective of current projects in this laboratory is to improve our understanding of humoral mechanisms which contribute to the regulation of tone in the pulmonary vascular bed. The lung is a major organ for the synthesis and inactivation of a variety of vasoactive hormones. Prostaglandins and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) are released by the lung in a number of pulmonary disorders including pulmonary embolism, gram negative sepsis, and the adult respiratory distress syndrome. Although TXA2 is known to be released, little if anything is known about responses to this substance because of its extremely short half-life at physiologic temperature and pH. Because TXA2 is such an unstable factor, it has not yet been isolated and characterized as a pure substance. Thus, pharmacologic methods may be useful in studying the actions of this unstable hormone and for testing the working hypothesis that TXA2 has marked vasoconstrictor activity in the pulmonary vascular bed. Right-heart and transseptal catheterization techniques and biochemical studies will be utilized to study the nature of TXA2 responses. The role of COX-1 and COX-2 in the formation of the prostaglandins and TXA2 is currently under investigation.

Another goal of the current research is to improve our current understanding of the role of the endothelium in regulating vascular resistance and in mediating responses to vasodilator agents in the pulmonary and peripheral vascular beds. These studies involve experiments in transgenic mice in which the nitric oxide synthase gene is deleted or is over-expressed. Knowledge derived from these studies may provide new insights into pulmonary vascular disorders and provide new forms of therapy.

Recent Publications:

A PubMed listing of research publications for Philip J. Kadowitz, Ph.D.

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