DEANNA L. KROETZ, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Dr. Kroetz’s research interests are in the regulation and physiological significance of cytochrome P450 mediated arachidonic acid metabolism in the kidney. Of particular interest are the cytochrome P450 4A (CYP4A) enzymes which generate the 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE)eicosanoid. Expression of the CYP4A genes and proteins was shown to be elevated in the prehypertensive rat kidney, and inhibition of CYP4A activity in vivo was associated with a decrease in blood pressure. Studies are ongoing to define the mechanisms by which 20-HETE contributes to blood pressure regulation. She is also interested in the regulation of CYP4A expression by the nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor. The overall goal of this work is to design therapeutic strategies for the modulation of renal eicosanoid formation which might prove useful in the treatment of hypertension, renal vascular disorders and endocrine disorders associated with altered fatty acid metabolism.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

1. Kroetz DL, Xu F. REGULATION AND INHIBITION OF ARACHIDONIC ACID omega-HYDROXYLASES AND 20-HETE FORMATION. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol, 45:413-438, 2005.
2. Kroetz DL, Xu F. REGULATION AND INHIBITION OF ARACHIDONIC ACID omega-HYDROXYLASES AND 20-HETE FORMATION. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol, 45:413-438, 2005.
3. Seubert JM, Xu F, Graves JP, Collins JB, Sieber SO, Paules RS, Kroetz DL, Zeldin DC. Differential Renal Gene Expression in Pre-hypertensive and Hypertensive Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, 2005.