Roshanak Rahimian, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Phone: 209.946.2373
Lab: 209.946.2070
Email: rrahimian@pacific.edu
Research Interest
We reported previously that estrogen administration to ovariectomized rats improves vascular function through enhancement of basal nitric oxide production and endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression. Such a direct effect on the vascular wall, along with the reported improvement in the plasma lipid profile may explain why estrogen is able to protect women against cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, premenopausal women with diabetes not only lose this gender-based cardiovascular protection, they actually experience a higher relative risk of CVD compared to diabetic men which suggests that hyperglycemia abrogates some of the beneficial effects of sex steroids. The overall goal of our research is to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the impairment of gender-based cardiovascular protection in premenopausal diabetic females.
Biography
Dr. Rahimian earned her doctor of pharmacy from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 1988, her master of science from the University of Ottawa in 1995, and her doctor of philosophy from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1998. She then completed a three-year post doctoral fellowship from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) before joining Pacific in 2001.
Relevant Publications
Thor, D., Zhang, R., Anderson, L., Bose, D., Dube, G., and Rahimian, R. Effects of 17 β-estradiol on lipopolysacharride-induced intracellular adhesion molecule-1 mRNA expression and Ca2+ homeostasis alteration in human endothelial. Vascular Pharmacology (2010) 53, 230-238.
Thor, D., Uchizono, J., Lin-Cereghino, J., and Rahimian, R. The effect of 17 β-estradiol on intracellular calcium homeostasis in human endothelial cells. European journal of Pharmacology (2010) 630, 92-99.
Goel, A., Thor, D., Anderson, L., and Rahimian, R. Sexual dimorphism in rabbit aortic endothelial function under hyperglycemic conditions and gender-specific response to acute 17-beta estradiol. American Journal of Physiology- Heart Circulatory Physiology (2008) 294, H2411-2420.
Goel, A., Zhang, Y. Anderson, L., and Rahimian, R. Gender difference in rat aorta vasodilation after acute exposure to high glucose: involvement of protein kinase C β but not rho kinase. Cardiovascular Research (2007) 76, 351-60.