Research Synopsis:

My research concerns the causes of systemic arterial hypertension, a major world-wide risk factor for cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Animal models are used to identify physiological mechanisms that contribute to the development of hypertension. The ultimate goal of acquiring this information is to design new pharmacological or genomic strategies for treating human hypertension. Techniques used include: surgical instrumentation of animals for chronic in vivo measurement of cardiovascular function; long-term radiotelemetric recording of arterial pressure and other physiological variables; chronic drug and hormone administration; assay of neurohormones in blood and other biological fluids; in vivo gene transfer; and in vivo quantification of sympathetic nervous system activity using the norepinephrine spillover technique. Topics of particular interest include: sympathetic nervous system; renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; endothelin; body fluid regulation; and the role of vascular capacitance and vein function in cardiovascular diseases.

Selected Achievements since 2001:

Editorial Boards
Clinical and Experimental Physiology and Pharmacology, 1994-present;
North American Field Editor, 2002-present
General Pharmacology: The Vascular System, 1999-present
Hypertension, 1989-present
American Journal of Physiology, 1987-present

Honors/Awards
Outstanding Researcher Award, MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, 2006
Golden Apple Award, MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, Class of 2002
Outstanding Curricular Contributions Award, MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine Award, 2000
Corcoran Lectureship, Council for High Blood Pressure Research, American Heart Association, 2008

Selected Samples Publications

Xu H, Fink GD, Galligan JJ: Tempol lowers blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity but not vascular O2- in DOCA-salt rats. Hypertension 43(2): 329-334, 2004.

Luo M, Fink GD, Lookingland KJ, Morris JA, Galligan JJ: Impaired function of a2-adrenergic autoreceptors on sympathetic nerves associated with mesenteric arteries and veins in DOCA-salt hypertension. Amer. J. Physiol. 286(4): H1558-H1564, 2004.

Thakali K, Fink GD, Watts SW: Arteries and veins desensitize differently to endothelin-1. J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol. 43: 389-393, 2004.

Dai X, Galligan JJ, Watts SW, Fink GD, Kreulen DL: Increased O2- production and upregulation of ETB receptors by sympathetic neurons in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. Hypertension 43(5): 1048-1054, 2004.

Wang, H., Chen, A.F., Watts, S.W., Galligan, J.J. and Fink, G.D.: Endothelin in the splanchnic vascular bed of DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. Amer. J. Physiol. 288(2): H29-H736, 2005.

Fink, G.D.: Hypothesis: The systemic circulation as a regulated free-market economy. A new approach for understanding the long-term control of blood pressure. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 32: 377-383, 2005

Pérez-Rivera, A.A., Fink, G.D. and Galligan, J.J.: Vascular reactivity of mesenteric arteries and veins to endothelin-1 in a murine model of high blood pressure. Vascul. Pharmacol. 43: 1-10, 2005.

Lau, Y.E., Galligan, J.J., Kreulen, D.L. and Fink, G.D.: Activation of ETB receptors increases super-oxide levels in sympathetic ganglia in vivo. Amer. J. Physiol. 290: R90-R95, 2006.

Thakali K, Davenport L, Fink GD, Watts SW. Pleiotropic effects of hydrogen peroxide in arteries and veins from normotensive and hypertensive rats. Hypertension. 47:482-7, 2006.

Thakali KM, Lau Y, Fink GD, Galligan JJ, Chen AF, Watts SW. Mechanisms of hypertension induced by nitric oxide (NO) deficiency: focus on venous function. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 47:742-50, 2006.

King AJ, Osborn JW, Fink GD. Splanchnic circulation is a critical neural target in angiotensin II salt hypertension in rats. Hypertension. 2007 Sep;50(3):547-56.

King AJ, Olivier NB, Mohankumar PS, Lee JS, Padmanabhan V, Fink GD. Hypertension caused by prenatal testosterone excess in female sheep. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Jun;292(6):E1837-41.

Xu H, Fink GD, Galligan JJ. Increased sympathetic venoconstriction and reactivity to norepinephrine in mesenteric veins in anesthetized DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2007 Jul;293(1):H160-8.

Park J, Galligan JJ, Fink GD, Swain GM. Differences in sympathetic neuroeffector transmission to rat mesenteric arteries and veins as probed by in vitro continuous amperometry and video imaging. J Physiol. 2007 Nov 1;584(Pt 3):819-34.

King AJ, Novotny M, Swain GM, Fink GD. Whole body norepinephrine kinetics in ANG II-salt hypertension in the rat. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2008 Apr;294(4):R1262-7.