Vascular Pharmacology

Prof. Dr. Huige Li

Department of Pharmacology
Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center
Mainz, Germany

Tel.: +49 6131 17-9348
E-Mail:  huigeli@uni-mainz.de

More Information at ResearchGate

Research Interests:

• Roles of perivascular adipose tissue in obesity-induced vascular dysfunction
  
  

• Fetal epigenetic programming of cardiovascular disease
  
  

• Roles of vascular oxidative stress and nitric oxide in cardiovascular disease
  
  

• Resveratrol and cardiovascular health
  
  

Roles of PVAT in obesity-induced vascular dysfunction

• Xia N, Horke S, Habermeier A, Closs EI, Reifenberg G, Gericke A, Mikhed Y, Munzel T, Daiber A, Forstermann U, Li H.
  Uncoupling of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase in Perivascular Adipose Tissue of Diet-Induced Obese Mice.
  Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2016; 36:78-85
  [PubMed] [ATVB]
  
  
• Xia N, Li H.
  The role of perivascular adipose tissue in obesity-induced vascular dysfunction.
  Br J Pharmacol. 2016 Oct 20 [Epub ahead of print]
  [PubMed] [Br J Pharmacol]
  
  
• Xia N, Weisenburger S, Koch E, Burkart M, Reifenberg G, Förstermann U, Li H.
  Restoration of perivascular adipose tissue function in diet-induced obese mice without changing bodyweight.
  Br J Pharmacol. 2017 Jan 5 [Epub ahead of print]
  [PubMed]  [Br J Pharmacol]

Fetal epigenetic programming of cardiovascular disease

• Wu Z, Siuda D, Xia N, Reifenberg G, Daiber A, Munzel T, Forstermann U, Li H.
  Maternal treatment of spontaneously hypertensive rats with pentaerythritol tetranitrate reduces blood pressure in female offspring.
  Hypertension. 2015; 65:232-237
  [PubMed] [Hypertension]
  

  Responses to this paper:

  • Hypertension Editorial Commentary:
    NO for the Pregnant Mother: No Hypertension for the Daughter?
  • AHA Press Release (November 10, 2014):
    Explosive compound reduced blood pressure in the female offspring of hypertensive rats
  • Hypertension eLetter (January 13, 2015):
    "A break-through in the field of developmental plasticity"
  • "DZHK-Paper of the month" (January 2015)
  • DZHK Press Release:
    BLOOD PRESSURE THERAPY FOR THE UNBORN CHILD?
    DZHK scientists from the partner site RheinMain have shown that this therapy works in rats: The female offspring had lower blood pressure if the the dams were administered the drug Pentaerythritoltetranitrat (PETN). Could this therapy also work in humans? 
     

• Siuda D, Zechner U, El Hajj N, Prawitt D, Langer D, Xia N, Horke S, Pautz A, Kleinert H, Forstermann U, Li H.
  Transcriptional regulation of Nox4 by histone deacetylases in human endothelial cells.
  Basic Res Cardiol. 2012; 107:283
  [PubMed] [Web of Science] [Publisher]

Roles of vascular oxidative stress and NO in cardiovascular disease

• Forstermann U, Xia N, Li H.
  Roles of Vascular Oxidative Stress and Nitric Oxide in the Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis.
  Circ Res. 2017 Feb 17;120(4):713-735.
  [PubMed] [Circ Res]
  
  
• Li H, Forstermann U.
  Uncoupling of endothelial NO synthase in atherosclerosis and vascular disease.
  Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2013; 13:161-167
  
  
• Li H, Horke S, Forstermann U.
  Oxidative stress in vascular disease and its pharmacological prevention.
  Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2013; 34:313-319
  
  
• Li H, Witte K, August M, Brausch I, Godtel-Armbrust U, Habermeier A, Closs EI, Oelze M, Munzel T, Forstermann U.
  Reversal of endothelial nitric oxide synthase uncoupling and up-regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression lowers blood pressure in hypertensive rats.
  J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006; 47:2536-2544
  
  
• Li H, Burkhardt C, Heinrich UR, Brausch I, Xia N, Forstermann U.
  Histamine upregulates gene expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in human vascular endothelial cells.
  Circulation. 2003; 107:2348-2354
  
  
• Li H, Junk P, Huwiler A, Burkhardt C, Wallerath T, Pfeilschifter J, Forstermann U.
  Dual effect of ceramide on human endothelial cells: induction of oxidative stress and transcriptional upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase.
  Circulation. 2002; 106:2250-2256
  
  
• Hink U*, Li H*, Mollnau H, Oelze M, Matheis E, Hartmann M, Skatchkov M, Thaiss F, Stahl RA, Warnholtz A, Meinertz T, Griendling K, Harrison DG, Forstermann U, Munzel T.
  Mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction in diabetes mellitus.
  Circ Res. 2001; 88:E14-22
  
  

Resveratrol and cardiovascular health

• Xia N, Daiber A, Förstermann U, Li H.
  Antioxidant effects of resveratrol in the cardiovascular system.
  Br J Pharmacol. 2016 Apr 5 [Epub ahead of print]
  [PubMed]  [Br J Pharmacol]
  
  
• Xia N, Forstermann U, Li H.
  Resveratrol as a gene regulator in the vasculature.
  Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2014; 15:401-408
  

  [PubMed] [Web of Science] [Publisher]

• Xia N, Strand S, Schlufter F, Siuda D, Reifenberg G, Kleinert H, Forstermann U, Li H.
  Role of SIRT1 and FOXO factors in eNOS transcriptional activation by resveratrol.
  Nitric Oxide. 2013; 32:29-35

• Li H, Forstermann U.
  Red wine and cardiovascular health.
  Circ Res. 2012; 111:959-961

• Li H, Xia N, Forstermann U.
  Cardiovascular effects and molecular targets of resveratrol.
  Nitric Oxide. 2012; 26:102-110

• Xia N, Daiber A, Habermeier A, Closs EI, Thum T, Spanier G, Lu Q, Oelze M, Torzewski M, Lackner KJ, Munzel T, Forstermann U, Li H.
  Resveratrol reverses endothelial nitric-oxide synthase uncoupling in apolipoprotein E knockout mice.
  J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2010; 335:149-154

• Spanier G, Xu H, Xia N, Tobias S, Deng S, Wojnowski L, Forstermann U, Li H.
  Resveratrol reduces endothelial oxidative stress by modulating the gene expression of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) and NADPH oxidase subunit (Nox4).
  J Physiol Pharmacol. 2009; 60 Suppl 4:111-116

• Li H, Forstermann U.
  Resveratrol: a multifunctional compound improving endothelial function.
  Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 2009; 23:425-429

• Wallerath T, Li H, Godtel-Ambrust U, Schwarz PM, Forstermann U.
  A blend of polyphenolic compounds explains the stimulatory effect of red wine on human endothelial NO synthase.
  Nitric Oxide. 2005; 12:97-104
  
  

• Wallerath T, Poleo D, Li H, Forstermann U.
  Red wine increases the expression of human endothelial nitric oxide synthase: a mechanism that may contribute to its beneficial cardiovascular effects.
  J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003; 41:471-478

• Wallerath T, Deckert G, Ternes T, Anderson H, Li H, Witte K, Forstermann U.
  Resveratrol, a polyphenolic phytoalexin present in red wine, enhances expression and activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase.
  Circulation. 2002; 106:1652-1658