Vincent G. DeMarco, PhD.

Associate Research Professor DeMarcoV@missouri.edu

Reserach Interests
My lab research focuses on ways to improve the lives of people with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Our approach originally centered on the use of inhaled nitric gas (iNO). Prior to the discovery of the vasodilatory effects of NO on the circulation there were no selective pulmonary vasodilators for treatment of PH. Our group initiated studies designed to determine the efficacy of iNO gas in treating experimentally produced neonatal PH. To accomplish this we used several neonatal animal models (pre-term lamb, postnatal lamb, and foal). In these experimental models iNO gas was highly effective at reducing elevated pulmonary arterial pressure, decreasing the intrapulmonary shunt and increasing blood oxygenation. iNO therapy is routinely used to treat preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Our interest in iNO effects in the hypertensive lung led us to examine pathways that control intrapulmonary NO synthesis during inflammatory responses caused by endotoxin. Endotoxin stimulates the lungs to overexpress NO by first inducing the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Endotoxin also stimulates the expression of several pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines (IL-8, IL-1b GRO/CINC-1). The genes encoding these pro-inflammatory proteins are switched on by the transcriptional factor, NF-kappaB. Our in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that anti-inflammatory therapies, such as hypothermia, glucocorticoids, and lipoic acid inhibit NF-kappaB activation and the expression of iNOS, IL-8, IL-1b and GRO/CINC-1.

Our latest efforts are focused on the dysfunctional tissue renin-angiotensin system as a cause or accelerating factor in the development of pulmonary hypertension.

Professional Background

• Towson State University, B.S.
• Texas Christian University, Department of Biology, M.S.
• University of Florida, Department of Zoology, PhD
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Physiology, University of Florida
• Assistant Research Professor, Division of Neonatology, University of Florida
• Associate Research Professor, Department of Child Health, University of Missouri
  
  
  

• DeMarco, V., J.F. Skimming, T.M. Ellis, and S.Cassin. 1996. The effects of nitric oxide inhalation on the ovine neonatal pulmonary and systemic circulations. Reprod., Fertil., and Dev., 8:431-438.
• Matalon, S., V. DeMarco, I.Y. Haddad, C.Myles, J.W. Skimming, S. Schurch, S. Cheng, and S. Cassin. 1996. Inhaled nitric oxide injures the pulmonary surfactant system of lambs in vivo. J. Appl. Physiol. 27014: L273-280.
• Scumpia, P.O., P.J. Sarcia, V.G. DeMarco, and J.W. Skimming. 2003. Hypothermia attenuates iNOS, CAT 1, CAT 2, and nitric oxide expression in lungs of endotoxemic rats. Am. J. Physiol. 283:L1231-L1238.
• DeMarco, VG, PO Scumpia, JB Bosanquet, and JW Skimming. 2004. -Lipoic acid inhibits endotoxin-stimulated expression of iNOS and nitric oxide independent of the heat shock response in RAW 264.7 cells. Free Rad Res, 38(7):675-82.
• DeMarco, VG, JP Bosanquet, VR Rawlani, JW Skimming. 2005. Lipoic acid decreases exhaled nitric oxide concentrations in anesthetized endotoxemic rats. Vasc Pharmacol, 43:404-410.
  
  

Methodologies/Techniques