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Faculty Detail    
Name ANUPAM AGARWAL
Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology;
Executive Vice Dean, UAB School of Medicine
 
Campus Address ZRB 629
Phone  (205) 996-6680
E-mail  agarwal@uab.edu
Other websites Physician Profile
O'Brien Center
     

Certifications
ABIM Internal medicine  2007 
ABIM Interrnal Medicine - Nephrology  2008 


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Primary  Med - Nephrology  Med - Nephrology Professor
Secondary  Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics  Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Associate Professor
Secondary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Professor
Secondary  Joint Pathology  Molecular & Cellular Pathology Professor
Center  Comp Arthritis, MSK, Bone & Autoimmunity Ctr  Comp Arthritis, MSK, Bone & Autoimmunity Ctr Professor
Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center Professor
Center  Comprehensive Cardiovascular Ctr  Comprehensive Cardiovascular Ctr Professor
Center  Comprehensive Diabetes Center  Comprehensive Diabetes Center Professor
Center  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci Professor
Center  GL Ctr for Craniofacial, Oral, & Dental Disorders  GL Ctr for Craniofacial, Oral, & Dental Disorders Professor
Center  Integrative Center for Aging Research  Integrative Center for Aging Research Professor
Center  Nephrology Research & Training Center  Nephrology Research & Training Center Professor
Center  Nutrition Sciences Research  Nutrition Obesity Res Ctr (NORC) Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations
Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Program 
Biochemistry and Structural Biology 
Cell, Molecular, & Developmental Biology 
Cellular and Molecular Biology Program 
Hughes Med-Grad Fellowship Program 
Medical Scientist Training Program 
Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine 

Biographical Sketch 
Dr. Agarwal graduated with honors from Kasturba Medical College in India. He completed his residency at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in India, where he also completed a nephrology fellowship. Dr. Agarwal was a nephrology fellow at the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic in Minneapolis. He then joined the Division of Nephrology, Hypertension, and Transplantation at the University of Florida in Gainesville as an assistant professor and was promoted to tenured associate professor. He was promoted to the rank of Professor at UAB in October 2005 and was named the Thomas E. Andreoli Professor of Nephrology in September 2006. He was appointed Division Director for Nephrology at UAB in January 2008 and served in this role through September 2021. He has also served as Vice Chair for Research for the UAB Department of Medicine from 2009-2014. He was appointed to the Marie S. Ingalls Endowed Chair in Nephrology Leadership in April 2011 and served as Interim Chairman for the UAB Department of Medicine (August 1, 2011-August 31, 2012). Dr. Agarwal also served as the Interim Senior Vice President and Dean, UAB School of Medicine from Feb 2013-Oct 2013. He is currently the Hilda Anderson Endowed Chair in Nephrology and Executive Vice Dean for the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.

Society Memberships
Organization Name Position Held Org Link
American Clinical and Climatological Association     
American Physiological Society     
American Society for Clinical Investigation     
American Society of Nephrology  Councilor   
Association of American Physicians     
International Society of Nephrology     
National Kidney Foundation     
Society for Free Radical Biology     
Southern Society for Clinical Investigation     



Research/Clinical Interest
Title
Regulation of heme oxygenase gene expression in kidney and vascular injury
Description
Dr. Agarwal's principal interests in clinical nephrology include acute kidney injury, specifically in the intensive care unit setting, toxic nephropathies, fluid and electrolyte disorders, glomerular disorders, progression of renal disease, and diabetic nephropathy. His long term goals are to pursue a career in academic nephrology with the primary focus being on basic research, teaching and patient care. His goal is to apply knowledge gained from bench research to the bedside, enabling research to be a significant contributor to advancement in clinical medicine. Dr. Agarwal’s research program has provided critical insights regarding the protective nature and significance of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in acute kidney injury (AKI), and the molecular regulation of the human HO-1 gene. His research efforts include three main areas. (i) His laboratory is studying the molecular regulation of the human HO-1 gene in renal and vascular injury. Induction of this gene occurs as an adaptive and beneficial response to injury and is protective in several clinically important conditions such as acute kidney injury, transplant rejection and atherosclerosis. Studies have identified key regulatory regions in the human HO-1 gene that mediate induction in response to stimuli such as heme, cytokines, nitric oxide and growth factors. (ii) The functional significance of HO-1 gene expression is also being evaluated in animal models of acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease following cutaneous exposure to arsenicals using knockout and cell specific HO-1 expression (e.g. proximal tubules, myeloid cells). (iii) His laboratory is also exploring the role of lymphangiogenesis in the pathogenesis of AKI and AKI to CKD.

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
Bolisetty S, Traylor AM, Joseph R, Zarjou A, Agarwal A. Proximal tubule-targeted heme oxygenase-1 in cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2015 Dec 16, [Epub ahead of print]
 
26672618  
Becs G, Zarjou A, Agarwal A, Kovács KÉ, Becs Á, Nyitrai M, Balogh E, Bányai E, Eaton JW, Arosio P, Poli M, Jeney V, Balla J, Balla G. Pharmacological induction of ferritin prevents osteoblastic transformation of smooth muscle cells. J Cell Mol Med. 2015 Oct 26. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.12682. [Epub ahead of print]  26499096  
Aggarwal S, Lam A, Bolisetty S, Carlisle MA, Traylor A, Agarwal A, Matalon S. Heme Attenuation Ameliorates Irritant Gas Inhalation-Induced Acute Lung Injury. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2015 Dec 14. [Epub ahead of print]  26376667 
Surolia R, Karki S, Kim H, Yu Z, Kulkarni T, Mirov SB, Carter AB, Rowe SM, Matalon S, Thannickal VJ, Agarwal A, Antony VB. Heme oxygenase-1-mediated autophagy protects against pulmonary endothelial cell death and development of emphysema in cadmium-treated mice. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2015 Aug 1;309(3):L280-92. Epub 2015 Jun 12.  26071551  
Hoyt K, Warram JM, Wang D, Ratnayaka S, Traylor A, Agarwal A. Molecular Ultrasound Imaging of Tissue Inflammation Using an Animal Model of Acute Kidney Injury. Mol Imaging Biol. 2015 Apr 24. [Epub ahead of print]  25905474 
Boddu R, Hull TD, Bolisetty S, Hu X, Moehle MS, Daher JP, Kamal AI, Joseph R, George JF, Agarwal A, Curtis LM, West AB. Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 deficiency is protective in rhabdomyolysis-induced kidney injury. Hum Mol Genet. 2015 Apr 22. pii: ddv147. [Epub ahead of print]  25904107 
Bolisetty S, Zarjou A, Hull TD, Traylor AM, Perianayagam A, Joseph R, Kamal AI, Arosio P, Soares MP, Jeney V, Balla J, George JF, Agarwal A. Macrophage and epithelial cell H-ferritin expression regulates renal inflammation. Kidney Int. 2015 Apr 15. doi: 10.1038/ki.2015.102. [Epub ahead of print]  25874599 
Li FJ, Duggal RN, Oliva OM, Karki S, Surolia R, Wang Z, Watson RD, Thannickal VJ, Powell M, Watts S, Kulkarni T, Batra H, Bolisetty S, Agarwal A, Antony VB. Heme Oxygenase-1 Protects Corexit 9500A-Induced Respiratory Epithelial Injury across Species. PLoS One. 2015 Apr 2;10(4):e0122275.  25835394 
Hull TD, Kamal AI, Boddu R, Bolisetty S, Guo L, Tisher CC, Rangarajan S, Chen B, Curtis LM, George JF, Agarwal A. Heme Oxygenase-1 Regulates Myeloid Cell Trafficking in AKI. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2015 Feb 12. pii: ASN.2014080770. [Epub ahead of print]  25677389 
Khan SQ, Guo L, Cimbaluk DJ, Elshabrawy H, Faridi MH, Jolly M, George JF, Agarwal A, Gupta V. A Small Molecule beta-2 Integrin Agonist Improves Chronic Kidney Allograft Survival by Reducing Leukocyte Recruitment and Accompanying Vasculopathy. Front Med (Lausanne). 2014 Nov 12;1:45.  25593918 
Hull TD, Agarwal A. Bilirubin: a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for diabetic nephropathy. Diabetes. 2014 Aug;63(8):2613-6.  25060893 
Hovater MB, Ying WZ, Agarwal A, Sanders PW. Nitric oxide and carbon monoxide antagonize TGF-beta; through ligand-independent internalization of TGF-beta R1/ALK5. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2014 Sep 15;307(6):F727-35  25100282 
Andringa KK, Agarwal A. Role of hypoxia-inducible factors in acute kidney injury. Nephron Clin Pract. 2014;127(1-4):70-4.  25343825 
Mehta RL, Sanders PW, Agarwal A. Changing paradigms in acute kidney injury: from mechanisms to management--proceedings of the 5th annual UAB-UCSD O'Brien Center Symposium (San Diego, Calif., USA, March 4, 2014). Nephron Clin Pract. 2014;127(1-4):117-8.  25343833 
Bolisetty S, Traylor A, Zarjou A, Johnson MS, Benavides GA, Ricart K, Boddu R, Moore RD, Landar A, Barnes S, Darley-Usmar V, Agarwal A. Mitochondria-targeted heme oxygenase-1 decreases oxidative stress in renal epithelial cells. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2013 Aug 1;305(3):F255-64.  23720344 
Hull TD, Bolisetty S, DeAlmeida AC, Litovsky SH, Prabhu SD, Agarwal A, George JF. Heme oxygenase-1 expression protects the heart from acute injury caused by inducible Cre recombinase. Lab Invest. 2013 Aug;93(8):868-79.   23732814 
Hull TD, Agarwal A, George JF. The mononuclear phagocyte system in homeostasis and disease: a role for heme oxygenase-1. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2014 Apr 10;20(11):1770-88.   24147608 
Zarjou A, Bolisetty S, Joseph R, Traylor A, Apostolov EO, Arosio P, Balla J, Verlander J, Darshan D, Kuhn LC, Agarwal A. Proximal tubule H-ferritin mediates iron trafficking in acute kidney injury. J Clin Invest. 2013 Oct 1;123(10):4423-34  24018561 
Regev D, Surolia R, Karki S, Zolak J, Montes-Worboys A, Oliva O, Guroji P, Saini V, Steyn AJC, Agarwal A, Antony VB. Heme oxygenase-1 promotes granuloma development and protects against dissemination of mycobacteria. Laboratory Investigation, 2012;92:1541-1552  22964851  
Schoeb TR, Jarmi T, Hicks JM, Henke S, Zarjou A, Hitoshi S, Kramer P, Novak J, Agarwal A, Bullard DC. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase inhibits the development of autoimmune-mediated vasculitis in mice. Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2012;64:4114-4124.   22933338 
Zarjou A, Guo L, Sanders PW, Mannon RB, Agarwal A, George JF. A reproducible mouse model of chronic allograft nephropathy with vasculopathy. Kidney International 2012;82:1231-1235.   22874842 
Kim J, Zarjou A, Traylor AM, Hull TD, Jaimes EA, George JF, Mikhail FM, Agarwal A. In vivo regulation of the heme oxygenase-1 gene in humanized transgenic mice. Kidney International. 2012;82:278-91.   22495295 
Zarjou A, Yang S, Abraham E, Agarwal A, Liu G. Identification of a microRNA signature in renal fibrosis: role of miR-21. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2011 Oct;301(4):F793-801.  21775484 
Zavaczki E, Jeney V, Agarwal A, Zarjou A, Oros M, Katkó M, Varga Z, Balla G, Balla J. Hydrogen sulfide inhibits the calcification and osteoblastic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells. Kidney Int. 2011 Oct;80(7):731-9.  21716261 
Lu A, Miao M, Schoeb TR, Agarwal A, Murphy-Ullrich JE. Blockade of TSP1-dependent TGF-β activity reduces renal injury and proteinuria in a murine model of diabetic nephropathy. Am J Pathol. 2011 Jun;178(6):2573-86.  21641382 
Zarjou A, Agarwal A. Sepsis and acute kidney injury. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2011 Jun;22(6):999-1006.  21566052 
Wu QQ, Wang Y, Senitko M, Meyer C, Wigley WC, Ferguson DA, Grossman E, Chen J, Zhou XJ, Hartono J, Winterberg P, Chen B, Agarwal A, Lu CY. Bardoxolone Methyl (BARD) ameliorates ischemic AKI and increases expression of protective genes - Nrf2, PPAR{gamma}, and HO-1. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2011 Feb 2. [Epub ahead of print]  21289052 
Zarjou A, Kim J, Traylor AM, Sanders PW, Balla J, Agarwal A, Curtis LM. Paracrine effects of mesenchymal stem cells in cisplatin-induced renal injury require heme oxygenase-1. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2011 Jan;300(1):F254-62.  21048024 
Chacko BK, Reily C, Srivastava A, Johnson MS, Ye Y, Ulasova E, Agarwal A, Zinn KR, Murphy MP, Kalyanaraman B, Darley-Usmar V. Prevention of diabetic nephropathy in Ins2(+/)⁻(AkitaJ) mice by the mitochondria-targeted therapy MitoQ. Biochem J. 2010 Oct 25;432(1):9-19.  20825366 
Bolisetty S, Traylor AM, Kim J, Joseph R, Ricart K, Landar A, Agarwal A. Heme oxygenase-1 inhibits renal tubular macroautophagy in acute kidney injury. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2010 Oct;21(10):1702-12. Epub 2010 Aug 12.  20705711 
Park DJ, Agarwal A, George JF. Heme Oxygenase-1 Expression in Murine Dendritic Cell Subpopulations. Effect on CD8+ Dendritic Cell Differentiation in Vivo. Am J Pathol. 2010 Apr 15. [Epub ahead of print]  20395442 
Deshane J, Kim J, Bolisetty S, Hock TD, Hill-Kapturczak N, Agarwal A. Sp1 regulates chromatin looping between an intronic enhancer and distal promoter of the human heme oxygenase-1 gene in renal cells. J Biol Chem. 2010;May 28;285(22):16476-86.  20351094 
Diers AR, Higdon AN, Ricart KC, Johnson MS, Agarwal A, Kalyanaraman B, Landar A, Darley-Usmar VM. Mitochondrial targeting of the electrophilic lipid 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 increases apoptotic efficacy via redox cell signalling mechanisms. Biochem J. 2010 Jan 27;426(1):31-41.  19916962 
Cole MP, Rudolph TK, Khoo NK, Motanya UN, Golin-Bisello F, Wertz JW, Schopfer FJ, Rudolph V, Woodcock SR, Bolisetty S, Ali MS, Zhang J, Chen YE, Agarwal A, Freeman BA, Bauer PM. Nitro-fatty acid inhibition of neointima formation after endoluminal vessel injury. Circ Res. 2009 Nov 6;105(10):965-72. Epub 2009 Sep 24.  19797175 
Wright MM, Kim J, Hock TD, Leitinger N, Freeman BA, Agarwal A. Human heme oxygenase-1 induction by nitro-linoleic acid is mediated by cyclic AMP, AP-1, and E-box response element interactions. Biochem J. 2009; Aug 13;422(2):353-61.  19534727 
Chen B, Guo L, Fan C, Bolisetty S, Joseph R, Wright MM, Agarwal A, George JF. Carbon Monoxide Rescues Heme Oxygenase-1-Deficient Mice from Arterial Thrombosis in Allogeneic Aortic Transplantation. Am J Pathol. 2009 Jul;175(1):422-9. Epub 2009 Jun 4.  19498004 
Zarjou A, Jeney V, Arosio P, Poli M, Antal-Szalmás P, Agarwal A, Balla G, Balla J. Ferritin prevents calcification and osteoblastic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009 Jun;20(6):1254-63.  19423691 
Ricart KC, Bolisetty S, Johnson MS, Perez J, Agarwal A, Murphy MP, Landar A. The permissive role of mitochondria in the induction of haem oxygenase-1 in endothelial cells. Biochem J. 2009 Apr 15;419(2):427-36.  19161347 
Jarmi T, Agarwal A. Heme oxygenase and renal disease. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2009 Feb;11(1):56-62.  19146802 
Iles KE, Wright MM, Cole MP, Welty NE, Ware LB, Matthay MA, Schopfer FJ, Baker PR, Agarwal A, Freeman BA. Fatty acid transduction of nitric oxide signaling: nitrolinoleic acid mediates protective effects through regulation of the ERK pathway. Free Radic Biol Med. 2008 Dec 14. [Epub ahead of print]  19133325 
Mu W, Long DA, Ouyang X, Agarwal A, Cruz PE, Roncal CA, Nakagawa T, Yu X, Hauswirth WW, Johnson RJ. Angiostatin overexpression is associated with an improvement in chronic kidney injury by an anti-inflammatory mechanism. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2009 Jan;296(1):F145-52.  18971211 
Li Calzi S, Purich DL, Chang KH, Afzal A, Nakagawa T, Busik JV, Agarwal A, Segal MS, Grant MB. Carbon monoxide and nitric oxide mediate cytoskeletal reorganization in microvascular cells via vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein phosphorylation: evidence for blunted responsiveness in diabetes. Diabetes. 2008;57(9):2488-94.   18559661 
George JF, Braun A, Brusko TM, Joseph R, Bolisetty S, Wasserfall CH, Atkinson MA, Agarwal A, Kapturczak MH. Suppression by CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells is dependent on expression of heme oxygenase-1 in antigen-presenting cells. Am J Pathol. 2008 Jul;173(1):154-60.   18511516 
Kie JH, Kapturczak MH, Traylor A, Agarwal A, Hill-Kapturczak N. Heme Oxygenase-1 Deficiency Promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Renal Fibrosis. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008 Sep;19(9):1681-91.  18495963 
Curtis LM, Chen S, Chen B, Agarwal A, Klug CA, Sanders PW.
Contribution of intrarenal cells to cellular repair after acute kidney injury: subcapsular implantation technique. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2008 Jul;295(1):F310-4.  
18448588 
Kumar A, Deshane JS, Crossman DK, Bolisetty S, Yan BS, Kramnik I, Agarwal A, Steyn AJ. Heme Oxygenase-1-derived Carbon Monoxide Induces the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Dormancy Regulon. J Biol Chem. 2008 Jun 27;283(26):18032-18039.  18400743 
Dulak J, Deshane J, Jozkowicz A, Agarwal A. Heme oxygenase-1 and carbon monoxide in vascular pathobiology: focus on angiogenesis. Circulation. 2008;117(2):231-41.   18195184 
Curtis LM, Agarwal A. HOpe for contrast-induced acute kidney injury. Kidney Int. 2007;72(8):907-9.   17914415 
Orozco LD, Kapturczak MH, Barajas B, Wang X, Weinstein MM, Wong J, Deshane J, Bolisetty S, Shaposhnik Z, Shih DM, Agarwal A, Lusis AJ, Araujo JA. Heme oxygenase-1 expression in macrophages plays a beneficial role in atherosclerosis. Circ Res. 2007;100(12):1703-11.  17495224  
Deshane J, Chen S, Caballero S, Grochot-Przeczek A, Was H, Li Calzi S, Lach R, Hock TD, Chen B, Hill-Kapturczak N, Siegal GP, Dulak J, Jozkowicz A, Grant MB, Agarwal A. Stromal cell-derived factor 1 promotes angiogenesis via a heme oxygenase 1-dependent mechanism. J Exp Med. 2007 Mar 5; 204(3):605-18.   17339405 

Keywords
heme oxygenase, acute kidney injury, transplant nephrology, lymphangiogenesis