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Rayna J. Gonzales, PhDAssistant Professor, Department of Basic Medical Sciences - The University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State University
UA Office Phone: (602) 827-2143 |
Education:Post-Doc Cerebrovascular Physiology/Pharmacology; University of New Mexico School of Medicine/University of California Irvine School of Medicine; 2000 - 2005 PhD; University of New Mexico School of Medicine; 2000
Background:Dr. Gonzales is a vascular physiologist with an emphasis in cerebrovascular pharmacology. She received a Masters of Science in Biology and a Doctorate in Biomedical Sciences from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. She is a strong advocate for young minority scientists and women and is extensively involved with The American Physiological Society (APS) and The American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. As member of these organizations, Dr. Gonzales has served on several committees including the APS Advisory Board for Minority Students in Biomedicine and the APS Porter Physiology Development Program. The overall goal of these programs is to promote and educate the new generation of upcoming research scientists and support career development of young minority scientists in the fields of physiology and pharmacology. Research Interests:My research is in the area of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular physiology. I am particularly interested in the physiology and pharmacology of the modulation by sex steroids of vascular function during pathophysiological and normal physiological conditions. The focus of my current research is to investigate the effect of androgens (dihydrotestosterone and testosterone) on vascular reactivity and molecular mechanisms (HIF-1 alpha and nuclear factor kappa-B activation) involved in cerebrovascular inflammation induced by hypoxia, cytokine, or experimental stroke. To address the functional and molecular changes in the cerebral blood vessel wall following hypoxia or ischemia both an in vivo hormone replacement rat model and cultured human brain endothelial cells are used. The in vivo hormone replacement model allows me to investigate the influence of androgens on vascular inflammation induced by experimental stroke, preserving complex interactions and specializations within the cerebral vasculature. In contrast, the cultured human endothelial cell model is used to address more mechanistic approaches concerning the effect of androgens on inflammation and hypoxia, investigating whether androgen receptor stimulation activates transcription. Experimental approaches used for these studies include middle cerebral artery occlusion, microscopic video imaging of diameter changes in isolated, pressurized cerebral arteries, scanning confocal microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and molecular biology. Since androgens and related compounds are being used with increasing frequency, it is critical to remedy the current lack of knowledge of the physiological effects of gonadal steroids. Better understanding of how androgens modulate transcriptional and signaling pathways in vascular pathophysiology is important for developing pharmacological interventions to manage cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke. PubMed Link:Search PubMed for a complete listing of Dr. Gonzales' publications Selected Publications:
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