Hui Xu, MD PhD

she/her/hers
Associate Professor
Pharmacology & Toxicology

Bio

1. Focus on the autonomic nervous system, molecular signaling and receptor/ion channel interactions in the vasculature, and how these factors regulate vascular and circulatory function in health and human diseases. 2. Approaches include the integrative studies of evaluation of sympathetic nerve and the vascular smooth muscle cell interactions in whole animal (in rats and mice) in vivo, in pressurized arteries and veins in vitro (including tissues from human subjects), and the function of individual ion channels/receptors at the molecular level. 3. Studies focus on the role of vascular ion (BK, L-type Ca2+, and pannexin-1) channel function in regulation of vascular function and blood pressure, and the contributions of ion channel dysfunction in cardiovascular and gastrointestinal disorders, including septic shock, salt sensitive and metabolic disorders associated hypertension, and gastrointestinal dysmotility. 4. Studies focus on the mechanisms of obesity associated hypertension, and sex differences in obesity associated hypertension, organ damages and GI dysmotility. 5. My resent studies focus on the enteric nerve system in control of brain-gastrointestinal function and motility in Alzheimer Diseases, Autisms, and metabolic disorders-the role of gut-brain axes.

Colleges

• College of Human Medicine

Education

• MD, , Xinjiang Medical University ()
• PhD, , Kagawa University ()

Funding

• Identification of enteric nerve circuits controlling gut motility, NIDDK (2019—2024)
• Does microbiome composition moderate GI and CNS function in a VPA-induced mouse model of autism? , NIHCHD (2023—2025)

Works

• Ex Vivo Electrochemical Monitoring of Cholinergic Signaling in the Mouse Colon Using an Enzyme-Based Biosensor. ACS chemical neuroscience (2023-09-08)
• Effects of Striatal Amyloidosis on the Dopaminergic System and Behavior: A Comparative Study in Male and Female 5XFAD Mice. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD (2023-01-01)
• 5xFAD mice do not have myenteric amyloidosis, dysregulation of neuromuscular transmission or gastrointestinal dysmotility. Neurogastroenterology and motility (2022-08-05)
• Spinal cord injury alters purinergic neurotransmission to mesenteric arteries in rats. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology (2019-11-27)
• Effects of high-fat diet on sympathetic neurotransmission in mesenteric arteries from Dahl salt-sensitive rat. Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical (2019-10-31)
• Sex Differences in Renal Inflammation and Injury in High-Fat Diet-Fed Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2018-11-01)
• TRPV1 agonism inhibits endothelial cell inflammation via activation of eNOS/NO pathway. Atherosclerosis (2017-03-10)
• High-fat diet-induced obesity alters nitric oxide-mediated neuromuscular transmission and smooth muscle excitability in the mouse distal colon. American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology (2016-06-10)
• BK channel β1-subunit deficiency exacerbates vascular fibrosis and remodelling but does not promote hypertension in high-fat fed obesity in mice. Journal of hypertension (2015-08-01)
• Role of the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1/C-C chemokine receptor 2 signaling pathway in transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 ablation-induced renal injury in salt-sensitive hypertension. Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.) (2015-01-13)
• Western blot analysis of BK channel β1-subunit expression should be interpreted cautiously when using commercially available antibodies. . Physiological reports (2014-10-28)
• Altered L-type Ca2+ channel activity contributes to exacerbated hypoperfusion and mortality in smooth muscle cell BK channel-deficient septic mice. American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology (2014-07-01)
• Impaired function of prejunctional adenosine A1 receptors expressed by perivascular sympathetic nerves in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics (2013-02-08)
• Impaired propulsive motility in the distal but not proximal colon of BK channel β1-subunit knockout mice. Neurogastroenterology and motility (2012-07-26)
• Vascular BK channel deficiency exacerbates organ damage and mortality in endotoxemic mice. Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology (2012-03-01)
• Requirement for functional BK channels in maintaining oscillation in venomotor tone revealed by species differences in expression of the β1 accessory subunits. Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology (2012-01-01)
• Large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel beta1-subunit knockout mice are not hypertensive. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology (2010-12-03)
• Increased sympathetic venoconstriction and reactivity to norepinephrine in mesenteric veins in anesthetized DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology (2007-02-23)
• Activation of potassium channels by tempol in arterial smooth muscle cells from normotensive and deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertensive rats. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2006-10-23)
• Activation of vascular BK channel by tempol in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2005-10-10)
• Tempol lowers blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity but not vascular O2- in DOCA-salt rats. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) (2004-01-05)
• Nitric oxide-independent effects of tempol on sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure in DOCA-salt rats. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology (2002-09-01)
• Neuroprotective effects of hyperthermic preconditioning on infarcted volume after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats: role of adenosine receptors. Critical care medicine (2002-05-01)
• Endothelin-1-induced elevation in blood pressure is independent of increases in sympathetic nerve activity in normotensive rats. Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology (2001-11-01)
• Nitric oxide-independent effects of tempol on sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure in normotensive rats. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology (2001-08-01)
• Intestinal ischemia induces late preconditioning against myocardial infarction: a role for inducible nitric oxide synthase. Cardiovascular research (2001-02-01)
• Effects of induced hypothermia on renal sympathetic nerve activity and baroreceptor reflex in urethane-anesthetized rabbits. Critical care medicine (2000-12-01)
• Effects of prostaglandins on baroreflex during reperfusion of the ischaemic myocardium. Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology (2000-05-01)
• Dose-dependent effects of propofol on renal sympathetic nerve activity, blood pressure and heart rate in urethane-anesthetized rabbits. European journal of pharmacology (2000-01-01)
• Enhanced beta-receptor-mediated vasorelaxation in hypoxic porcine coronary artery. The American journal of physiology (1999-10-01)
• Effects of dexmedetomidine, an alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist, on renal sympathetic nerve activity, blood pressure, heart rate and central venous pressure in urethane-anesthetized rabbits. Journal of the autonomic nervous system (1998-06-01)

Employment

• Associate Professor, Michigan State University (2016)
• Assistant Professor, Michigan State University (2005—2016)
• Research Associate, Michigan State University (2000—2005)