My research focuses on the extracellular matrix (ECM) alterations responsible for the development of heart failure and cardiac dysfunction in multiple disease states, including hypertension, volume overload, pressure overload, and substance abuse. My laboratory utilizes rodent models of cardiac disease. We also use primary adult cell culture and cardiac cell lines to examine specific pathways involved in the pathology of cardiac dysfunction.

Current topics of study include:

Cardiac effects of chronic, inhaled nicotine and vape. Vaping and eCigarettes have become increasingly popular with adolescents and are considered a less-harmful alternative to conventional cigarettes. Despite this impression, we actually know very little about the long-term health effects of inhaled nicotine.
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) and Cardiac Function. Using a mouse model of PAE, we found that PAE caused persistent alterations in the expression of cardiac collagen and other proteins. We are investigating if these changes caused by PAE increase susceptibility of adults to cardiovascular disease.
Lysyl oxidase (LOX) and cardiac dysfunction. LOX is a collagen crosslinking enzyme, which is necessary for healthy maintenance of heart tissue. Yet, during many cardiovascular disease states, LOX expression and activity are dramatically increased. We found that inhibition of LOX activity provides dramatic cardioprotection against adverse cardiac remodeling, dysfunction and heart failure.

Teaching Activities

Director of Medical Physiology and Lecturer for Cardiovascular Block (PHYSIO 100/205; NURS 7405)
Biological Systems Lecturer for Cardiovascular Block (INTER 131/ PHTH 7120/ PHYSIO 6523)

Committees & Administrative Responsibilities

IACUC, Faculty Assembly, Faculty Assembly Subcommittee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
SOM Scholarships and Awards Committee

Selected Publications

Mouton, AJ., V.K. Ninh, E.C. El Hajj, M.C. El Hajj, N.W. Gilpin, J.D. Gardner. Exposure to Chronic Alcohol Accelerates Development of Wall Stress and Eccentric Remodeling in Rats with Volume Overload. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 97:15-23, 2016. PMID: 27107489

Mouton, A.J., J.K. Maxi, F. Souza-Smith, G.J. Bagby, N.W. Gilpin, P.E. Molina, and J.D. Gardner. Alcohol Vapor Inhalation as a Model of Alcohol-Induced Organ Disease. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 40(8):1671-8, 2016. PMID: 27375174

El Hajj, M.C., V.K. Ninh, E.C. El Hajj, J.M. Bradley, J.D. Gardner. Estrogen Receptor Antagonism Exacerbates Cardiac Structural and Functional Remodeling in Female Rats. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol., 312(1):H98-H105, 2017. PMID: 27769996

El Hajj, E.C., M.C. El Hajj, V.K. Ninh, J.M. Bradley, M.A. Claudino, J.D. Gardner. Detrimental Role of Lysyl Oxidase in Cardiac Remodeling, J Mol Cell Cardiol., 109:17-26, 2017.

Ninh, V.K., E.C. El Hajj, A.J. Mouton, M.C. El Hajj, N.W. Gilpin, J.D. Gardner. Chronic Ethanol Administration Prevents Compensatory Cardiac Hypertrophy in Pressure Overload. Alcohol Clin Exp Res., 2018 (PMID: 29846943).

Ninh V.K., E.C. El Hajj, A.J. Mouton, J.D. Gardner. Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Causes Adverse Cardiac Extracellular Matrix Changes and Dysfunction in Neonatal Mice. Cardiovasc Toxicol., 29(10): 915-926, 2019 (PMID: 30109531).

Oakes J, J. Xu, T. Morris, N. Fried, C. Pearson, T. Lobell, N. Gilpin, E. Lazartigues*, J.D. Gardner*, and X. Yue*. Effects of Chronic Nicotine Inhalation on Systemic and Pulmonary Blood Pressure and Right Ventricular Remodeling in Mice. Hypertension, 75(5):1305-1314, 2020 (PMID: 32172623 ).

Fried, N., J.D. Gardner. Heat-not-burn tobacco products: an emerging threat to cardiovascular health. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, 319(6): H1234-H1239, 2020 (PMID: 33006919).

Additional Info

Curriculum Vitae

In the News:

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