Research

Research Interests

Research in my laboratory encompasses several major areas: hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. However, special emphasis is placed upon:

(i) Drug and chemical-induced mechanisms of cell injury and cell death in multiple vital target organs in vivo,

(ii) Signaling mechanisms and molecular pathways of programmed (apoptotic) and unprogrammed (necrotic) cell death, and

(iii) unraveling mechanisms and exploring antitoxic/anticarcinogenic potentials of phytochemicals (natural and man-made antioxidants).

As a team, we try to dissect each and every project into smaller fragments and treat every fragment as a complex puzzle. In order to unravel mechanisms underlying each puzzle, we follow a multi-pronged approach. Specific assays include analysis of oxidative stress (production/detoxification routes of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species as well as biological reactive intermediates), DNA damage and repair pathways, cell cycle regulatory elements, intracellular redox states (antioxidants, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase) and caspases. Prior to putting together the big-picture, we execute experiments at the organ level, cellular level, subcellular level (mitochondrial & nuclear), molecular level (microsomes, ribosomes and plasma membrane) and at the genomic level (gene expression).

Finally, we try to compose each bit of the puzzle together. This strategy has consistently guided us in the right direction to understand how xenobiotics cause cellular toxicity and helped designing protocols to combat toxicity. Although we execute experiments in the close proximity of genomics, proteomics, and toxicogenomics areas, several ground breaking discoveries have made our laboratory a world leader in the field of mechanism of toxicity.

My Publications