Anupam Agarwal, M.D. Professor of Medicine  Phone: 205-996-6670 E-mail: agarwal@uab.edu

Dr. Agarwal graduated with honors from Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, India.  After internship in Mangalore, he completed his residency at the prestigious Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh.  He then moved to the University of Minnesota, where he did a fellowship in nephrology.  Following fellowship, he joined the Division of Nephrology at the University of Florida, rising from Instructor to Associate Professor, before relocating to UAB.  At UAB, Dr. Agarwal is Director of the Nephrology Research and Training Center and the Thomas E. Andreoli Professor of Nephrology.  He has received numerous local and national awards for outstanding contributions to nephrology research and teaching.

Dr. Agarwal’s research interest involves the molecular regulation of the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene in renal disease, atherosclerosis and mucosal inflammation.  His laboratory has contributed significantly to our understanding of how stimuli such as heme, cytokines (IL-10 and TGF-b), nitric oxide and lipids induce the HO-1 gene, the product of which participates in the adaptive response to the injury.  He also is investigating HO-1 gene delivery in animal models of injury and inflammation.

Selected Publications

1. Agarwal, A., Balla, J., Alam. J., Croatt, A.J. and Nath, K.A.  Induction of heme oxygenase in toxic renal injury: A protective role in cisplatin nephrotoxicity in the rat.Kidney Intl. 48:1298-1307, 1995.
2. Hill-Kapturczak, N., Thruong, L., Thamilselvan, V., Visner, G.A., Nick, H.S. and Agarwal, A.  Smad 7-dependent regulation of heme oxygenase-1 gene expression by transforming growth factor-b in human renal epithelial cells. J. Biol. Chem. 275:40904-40909, 2000.
3. Chang, S.-H., Garcia, J., Melendez, J.A., Kilberg, M.S. and Agarwal, A.  Heme oxygenase-1 gene induction by glucose deprivation is mediated by reactive oxygen species via the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Biochem. J. 371:877-885, 2003.
4. Hill-Kapturczak, N., Sikorski, E.,Voakes, C., Garcia, J., Nick, H.S. and Agarwal, A.  An internal enhancer regulates heme and cadmium-mediated induction of human heme oxygenase-1.  Am. J. Phys. (Renal) 285:F515-523, 2003.
5. Kapturczak, M.H., Wasserfall, C., Brusko, T., Campbell-Thompson, M., Ellis, T.M., Atkinson, M.A. and Agarwal, A.  Heme oxygenase-1 modulates early inflammatory responses: Evidence from the heme oxygenase-1 deficient mouse.  Am. J. Pathol. 165:1045-1053, 2004.
6. Chen, S., Kapturczak, M.H., Wasserfall, C., Glushakova, O.Y., Campbell-Thompson, M., Deshane, J.S., Joseph, R., Hauswirth, W.W., Madsen, K.M., Croker, B.P., Berns, K.I., Atkinson, M.A., Flotte, T.R., Tisher, C.C. and Agarwal, A.  Interleukin-10 attenuates neointimal proliferation and inflammation in aortic allografts via a heme oxygenase dependent pathway. Proceed. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA.102:7251-7256, 2005.
7. Wright, M.M., Schopfer, F.J., Baker, P.R.S., Vidyasagar, V., Powell, P., Chumley, P., Iles, K.E., Freeman, B.A. and Agarwal, A.  Fatty acid transduction of nitric oxide signaling: Nitrolinoleic acid potently activates endothelial heme oxygenase-1 expression.  Proceed. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 103:4299-4304, 2006.
8. Sikorski, E.M., Uo, T., Morrison, R.S. and Agarwal, A.  Pescadillo interacts with the cadmium response element of the human heme oxygenase-1 promoter in renal epithelial cells. J. Biol. Chem.281:24423-24430, 2006.
9. Hock, T.D., Liby, K., Wright, M.M., McConnel, S., Schorpp-Kistner, M., Ryan, T.M. and Agarwal, A.  JunB and JunD regulate human heme oxygenase-1 gene expression in renal epithelial cells. J. Biol. Chem. In press.
10. Deshane, J., Chen, S., Chen, B., Callabero, S., Grochot-Przeczek, A., Was, H., Li Calzi, S., Radoslaw, L., Hock, T.D., Hill-Kapturczak, N., Siegal, G.P., Dulak, J., Jozkowicz, A., Grant, M. and Agarwal, A.  Stromal cell-derived factor-1 promotes angiogenesis via a heme oxygenase-1 dependent mechanism. J. Exp. Med. In press.