Ravindra K Sharma,

My current research focus revolves around understanding the possible mechanisms of vascular stiffness in chronic kidney disease and its new therapeutic approaches. We are also investigating the potential role of gut-microbiota and its metabolites in vascular stiffness during CKD. During my postdoctoral training, my focus was to investigate the role of neuroinflammation and gut microbiota in the regulation of hypertension. Utilizing multidisciplinary approaches, we have demonstrated for the first time that chemically modified tetracycline-3 inhibition of microglial activation in cardio-regulatory brain areas, primarily the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus, selectively impacts the gut microbiota and provide the protection against hypertension. In addition to this, I was also involved in a project investigating the involvement of gut microbiota and renin-angiotensin system components such as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and angiotensin-(1-7) in pulmonary hypertension pathophysiology. I have successfully demonstrated the association of gut microbial dysbiosis in various models of pulmonary hypertension and revealed the beneficial actions of renin angiotensin system components particularly the ACE2 and angiotensin-(1-7) on restoring the pulmonary hypertension as well as gut microbiota dysbiosis. I have recently published that neuro-inflammation and other cellular events in the cardio-regulatory brain regions participate in autonomic dysfunctions which eventually perpetuate pulmonary hypertension with right heart pathologies. These studies led us to propose a dysfunctional brain-gut-lung communication in pulmonary hypertension. The overall aim of these studies to provide a significant therapeutic approach for the treatment of such diseases which can further be translated into the medicine.

0000-0001-8099-0697

• Gut Microbiome
• Hypertension
• Pulmonary hypertension
• chronic kidney disease
• vascular stiffness