9th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Presenter(s): Pratibha Chaudhari
Title: Vascular Effects of Intermediates of the Heme Biosynthetic Pathway
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Victor Pulgar , College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Inhibition of the synthesis of heme leads to accumulation of intermediate products such as delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) or porphobilinogen (PBG) which leads to a pathogenic condition called porphyria. Hypertension and tachycardia are among the common symptoms of porphyria. Using Wire Myography we study vascular responses in the T1T2 mouse, an animal model of acute intermittent porphyria (AIP). To understand the role(s) of ALA and PBG on mediating vascular alterations in AIP we investigated the direct and indirect effects of ALA and PBG on mesenteric vascular contractility. We observed greater effects of ALA than PBG on promoting vascular contraction.