Lester Reinke , Ph.D.
Director of Graduate Programs and Presidential Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research Summary
Alcoholic liver injury: Although a relationship between chronic alcohol abuse and liver injury has been known for centuries, the mechanisms through which alcohol damages the liver are not clearly established. Alcohol-induced oxidative stress is thought to have a major role in this toxicity. Chronic alcohol exposure induces several forms of hepatic cytochrome P-450, especially CYP 2E1, and this isozyme is considered to be an important source of oxygen radicals. Alcohol also promotes absorption of bacterial endotoxin from the gastrointestinal tract, which activates liver macrophages to increase production of nitric oxide and several inflammatory cytokines. These and related changes in liver function are the major focus of research in my laboratory.<br>Free Radicals and Spin Trapping: Free radicals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of disease states. Because most free radicals are highly reactive and have extremely short half-lives, their roles in tissue injury have been difficult to study directly. Many radicals can be trapped with suitable spin trapping agents, and the resulting spin adducts can be detected with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. My laboratory is exploring novel biological applications of the spin trapping technique, and its potential for the study of free radical toxicology.
Education & Experience
Education
-
B.S., Pharmacy, University of Nebraska, 1969
-
M.S., Medicinal Chemistry, University of Nebraska, 1975
-
Ph.D., Biomedicinal Chemistry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 1977
Professional Experience
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, 1977-80
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, 1980-99.
- Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Research Member, Free Radical Biology and Aging Program, 1990-present
- Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, 1994-present
- Professor, Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, 1999-present
- Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, College of Pharmacy, 2000-present
Honors & Service
- Associates Presidential Professorship, 2000-04.
- Regent's Award for Superior Accomplishment in Research and Creative Activity, 1999.
- John E. Fogarty Senior International Fellowship, for study at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 1989-90.
Selected Publications & Presentations
- Gallucci R.M., Sloan D.K., O'Dell S.J. and Reinke L.A. Differential expression of liver interleukin-6 receptor-alpha in female versus male ethanol-consuming rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 28: 365-373, 2004
- Towner, R.A., Mason, R.P. and Reinke, L.A. Detection of alfatoxin-induced lipid free radicals in rat bile. Biochim Biophys Acta 1573: 55-62 (2002).
- Sueishi, Y., Yoshioka, C., Olea-Azar, C., Reinke, L.A. and Kotake, Y. Substituent effect on the rate of the hydroxyl and phenyl radical spin trapping with nitrones. Bull Chem Soc Jpn 75: 2043-2047 (2002).
- Reinke L.A. Spin trapping evidence for alcohol-associated oxidative stress. Free Rad. Biol. Aging 32: 953-957 (2002).
- Rao D., Moore D.R., Reinke, L.A. and Fechter, L.D. Free radical generation in the cochlea during combined exposure to noise and carbon monoxide: an electrophysiological and an EPR study. Hearing Res. 161: 113-122 (2001).
Current Grants Awarded
-
Astellas Foundation - College of Pharmacy Seed Grant Program
Completed Grants
-
7/20/2007 - 5/16/2008 Astellas Foundation - College of Pharmacy Seed Grant Program