Nihal Tumer

Nihal Tumer, Ph.D.

PROFESSOR

Department: MD-PHARMACOLOGY / THERAPEUTICS
Business Phone: (352) 273-9424
Business Email: ntumer@ufl.edu

Teaching Profile

Courses Taught
2011-2017
DEN6262 Prin of Pharmacology
2014,2016
MDU4002 Introduction to Medical Science Seminar 2

Research Profile

Tumer’s research included:

1) Discovery of neuronal mechanisms underlying diet and aged-induced obesity. Obesity is occurring at epidemic rates with frightful health consequences. Her hypothesis was that leptin resistance is an important causative factor in both diet-induced and age-related obesity. Her lab demonstrated that both types of obesity are associated with leptin resistance and this resistance resides within the first order hypothalamic neurons that contain leptin receptors, and they provided strong evidence that the leptin receptor-signaling cascade is impaired. One current area of focus is to restore leptin receptor function with gene delivery/programmed of the leptin in a circadian/intermittent fashion to specific brain regions. A second area of focus is the role of specific dietary components such as fat or sugar as causative factors in leptin resistance independent of caloric intake or body weight.

2) Chronic consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) on cerebrovascular function. One deleterious consequence of brain injury is cerebral vascular dysfunction. Human studies indicate that severe traumatic brain injury leads to decreased blood flow and hypoperfusion of the brain tissue. Her lab’s hypothesis was that long-term consequences of TBI are the results of impaired cerebral blood flow and due to chronic oxidative stress and inflammation. Secondarily, they proposed there is elevated sympathetic nervous system activity leading to systemic cardiovascular problems including hypertension.

3) A third area of focus was elucidation of the mechanisms underlying increased hypertension with age. Elevated blood pressure is a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases in the elderly which is the number one killer in the United States. We examined the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in age-related sympathetic nervous activation and blood pressure elevation.

Publications

2018
Overpressure blast injury-induced oxidative stress and neuroinflammation response in rat frontal cortex and cerebellum
Behavioural brain research. 340:14-22 [DOI] 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.04.025.
2016
Age Impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation is improved by resveratrol in rat mesenteric arteries.
Journal of exercise nutrition & biochemistry. 20(1):41-8 [DOI] 10.20463/jenb.2016.03.20.1.2. [PMID] 27298812.
2016
High dietary fructose does not exacerbate the detrimental consequences of high fat diet on basilar artery function.
Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society. 67(2):205-16 [PMID] 27226180.
2016
Protective effects of resveratrol on aging-induced cognitive impairment in rats.
Neurobiology of learning and memory. 131:131-6 [DOI] 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.03.022. [PMID] 27040098.
2015
AT1 receptor blocker losartan protects against mechanical ventilation-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction.
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985). 119(10):1033-41 [DOI] 10.1152/japplphysiol.00237.2015. [PMID] 26359481.
2013
Caloric Restriction and Resveratrol Attenuate Doxorubicin-Induced Vascular Dysfunction in Old Rat Mesenteric Arteries
The FASEB's Journal. 27
2013
Leptin overexpression in VTA trans-activates the hypothalamus whereas prolonged leptin action in either region cross-desensitizes.
Neuropharmacology. 65:90-100 [DOI] 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.09.005. [PMID] 22982569.
2012
Blast Brain Injury Elevates Catecholamine Biosynthesis in the Nucleus Tractus Solitaries and Oxidative Stress in the Hypothalamus in Rats
Journal of Neurotrauma. 29
2012
Blast Brain Injury Elevates Catecholamine Biosynthesis in the Rat Adrenal Medulla
The FASEB's Journal. 26
2012
Resveratrol Reverses Increased Hypothalamic Nadph Oxidase Activity and Vascular Dysfunction With Age
Gerontologist. 52:318-319
2012
Resveratrol Treatment Reverses Doxorubicin-Induced Vascular Dysfunction in Old Rat Mesenteric Arteries
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 44
2011
Effect of age on high-fat diet-induced hypertension.
American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology. 301(1):H164-72 [DOI] 10.1152/ajpheart.01289.2010. [PMID] 21551274.
2011
Lifelong caloric restriction prevents age-induced oxidative stress in the sympathoadrenal system of Fischer 344 x Brown Norway rats.
Biochemical and biophysical research communications. 408(3):454-8 [DOI] 10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.04.051. [PMID] 21527245.
2011
POMC overexpression in the ventral tegmental area ameliorates dietary obesity.
The Journal of endocrinology. 210(2):199-207 [DOI] 10.1530/JOE-10-0418. [PMID] 21565854.
2011
Prevention and Reversal of Diet-Induced Leptin Resistance With a Sugar-Free Diet Despite High Fat Content
British Journal of Nutrition. 106(3):390-397 [DOI] 10.1017/S000711451100033X. [PMID] 21418711.
2011
Simultaneous POMC gene transfer to hypothalamus and brainstem increases physical activity, lipolysis and reduces adult-onset obesity.
The European journal of neuroscience. 33(8):1541-50 [DOI] 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07633.x. [PMID] 21366729.
2011
The act of voluntary wheel running reverses dietary hyperphagia and increases leptin signaling in ventral tegmental area of aged obese rats.
Gerontology. 57(4):335-42 [DOI] 10.1159/000321343. [PMID] 20881371.
2010
Exercise Training Attenuates Cardiac Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidant Production Following Doxorubicin Treatment
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 42
2010
Hypertensive Effects of Central Angiotensin II Infusion and Restraint Stress Are Reduced With Age
Journal of Hypertension. 28(6):1298-1306 [DOI] 10.1097/HJH.0b013e328338a075. [PMID] 20308921.
2010
Pro-opiomelanocortin gene transfer to the nucleus of the solitary track but not arcuate nucleus ameliorates chronic diet-induced obesity.
Neuroscience. 169(4):1662-71 [DOI] 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.06.001. [PMID] 20538045.
2010
Short-Term Exercise Training Protects Against Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiac Mitochondrial Damage Independent of Hsp72
American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 299(5):H1515-H1524 [DOI] 10.1152/ajpheart.00585.2010. [PMID] 20833957.
2009
Bilateral Nigral Raav5-Mediated Gdnf Over-Expression Activates Crh Neurons in the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus and Induces Robust Weight Loss in Obese Leptin-Resistant Rats
Molecular Therapy. 17
2009
Central overexpression of leptin antagonist reduces wheel running and underscores importance of endogenous leptin receptor activity in energy homeostasis.
American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology. 297(5):R1254-61 [DOI] 10.1152/ajpregu.90449.2008. [PMID] 19726711.
2009
Effect of high-fat diet feeding on hypothalamic redox signaling and central blood pressure regulation.
Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension. 32(11):983-8 [DOI] 10.1038/hr.2009.129. [PMID] 19713964.
2009
Increased temperature and protein oxidation lead to HSP72 mRNA and protein accumulation in the in vivo exercised rat heart.
Experimental physiology. 94(1):71-80 [DOI] 10.1113/expphysiol.2008.044685. [PMID] 18931043.
2009
Nigrostriatal rAAV-mediated GDNF overexpression induces robust weight loss in a rat model of age-related obesity.
Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy. 17(6):980-91 [DOI] 10.1038/mt.2009.45. [PMID] 19277011.
2009
Weight Loss in Obese Leptin-Resistant Rats Induced By Activation of Crh Neurons in the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus By Overexpression of Substantial Nigral-Injected Raav5-Gdnf
Cell Transplantation. 18
2008
Effect of Age On Angiotensin Ii-Mediated Downregulation of Adrenomedullary Catecholamine Biosynthetic Enzymes
Experimental Gerontology. 43(8):806-809 [DOI] 10.1016/j.exger.2008.04.012. [PMID] 18522866.
2008
Synergy between leptin therapy and a seemingly negligible amount of voluntary wheel running prevents progression of dietary obesity in leptin-resistant rats.
Diabetes. 57(3):614-22 [PMID] 18086903.
2007
Effects of life-long caloric restriction and voluntary exercise on age-related changes in levels of catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes and angiotensin II receptors in the rat adrenal medulla and hypothalamus.
Experimental Gerontology. 42(8):745-52 [DOI] 10.1016/j.exger.2007.04.007. [PMID] 17540525.
2007
Exercise-induced HSP-72 elevation and cardioprotection against infarct and apoptosis.
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985). 103(3):1056-62 [PMID] 17569768.
2007
Leptin antagonist reveals an uncoupling between leptin receptor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling and metabolic responses with central leptin resistance.
The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics. 320(2):706-12 [PMID] 17082312.
2007
Leptin antagonist reverses hypertension caused by leptin overexpression, but fails to normalize obesity-related hypertension.
Journal of Hypertension. 25(12):2471-8 [DOI] 10.1097/HJH.0b013e3282e9a9fd. [PMID] 17984669.
2006
Acute pressor effect of central angiotensin II is mediated by NAD(P)H-oxidase-dependent production of superoxide in the hypothalamic cardiovascular regulatory nuclei.
Journal of hypertension. 24(1):109-16 [PMID] 16331108.
2006
Hypothalamic rAAV-mediated GDNF gene delivery ameliorates age-related obesity.
Neurobiology of aging. 27(3):459-70 [PMID] 15964099.
2005
Leptin resistance exacerbates diet-induced obesity and is associated with diminished maximal leptin signalling capacity in rats.
Diabetologia. 48(6):1075-83 [PMID] 15864530.
2003
Leptin-induced leptin resistant rats exhibit enhanced responses to the melanocortin agonist MT II.
Neuropharmacology. 45(2):211-9 [PMID] 12842127.
2002
Central leptin gene delivery evokes persistent leptin signal transduction in young and aged-obese rats but physiological responses become attenuated over time in aged-obese rats.
Neuropharmacology. 42(4):548-61 [PMID] 11955525.
2002
Leptin-induced leptin resistance reveals separate roles for the anorexic and thermogenic responses in weight maintenance.
Endocrinology. 143(8):3026-35 [PMID] 12130569.
2002
Regulation of adiponectin and leptin gene expression in white and brown adipose tissues: influence of beta3-adrenergic agonists, retinoic acid, leptin and fasting.
Biochimica et biophysica acta. 1584(2-3):115-22 [PMID] 12385894.
2001
Gene expression of catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes following exercise: modulation by age.
Neuroscience. 103(3):703-11 [PMID] 11274789.
2001
Hypothalamic leptin resistance is associated with impaired leptin signal transduction in aged obese rats.
Neuroscience. 104(4):1111-7 [PMID] 11457594.
2000
Uncoupling proteins 2 and 3 with age: regulation by fasting and beta3-adrenergic agonist treatment.
Journals of Gerontology Series A-Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 55(12):B588-92 [DOI] 10.1093/gerona/55.12.B588. [PMID] 11129388.
1999
Differential down-regulation of beta3-adrenergic receptor mRNA and signal transduction by cold exposure in brown adipose tissue of young and senescent rats.
Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology. 437(3):479-83 [PMID] 9914406.
1999
Induction of tyrosine hydroxylase and neuropeptide Y by carbachol: modulation with age.
The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. 54(10):B418-23 [PMID] 10568524.
1999
The effects of exercise duration on adrenal HSP72/73 induction in rats.
Acta physiologica Scandinavica. 167(3):227-31 [PMID] 10606824.
1996
Tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression in varying forms of human pheochromocytoma.
Life Sciences. 59(19):1659-65 [DOI] 10.1016/0024-3205(96)00497-3. [PMID] 8913331.
1995
Myosin heavy chain composition in young and old rat skeletal muscle: effects of endurance exercise.
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985). 78(6):2115-20 [PMID] 7665407.

Grants

Jul 2006 ACTIVE
BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD INJURY RESEARCH
Role: Project Manager
Funding: FL DEPT OF HLTH

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(352) 273-9424
Emails:
Business:
ntumer@ufl.edu
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
PO Box 100267
GAINESVILLE FL 32610
Business Street:
GRECC
GAINESVILLE FL 326110001