Education

BS Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

PhD Biomedical Engineering, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston

Postdoctoral training in vascular physiology, University of South Alabama

Teaching

• Director of Medical Physiology and Lecturer for Cardiovascular Block (PHYSIO 100/205; NURS 7405)
• Biological Systems Lecturer for Cardiovascular Block (INTER 131/ PHTH 7120/ PHYSIO 6523)

Selected Publications

Mouton, AJ., V.K. Ninh, E.C. El Hajj, M.C. El Hajj, N.W. Gilpin, J.D. Gardner. Exposure to Chronic Alcohol Accelerates Development of Wall Stress and Eccentric Remodeling in Rats with Volume Overload. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 97:15-23, 2016. PMID: 27107489

Mouton, A.J., J.K. Maxi, F. Souza-Smith, G.J. Bagby, N.W. Gilpin, P.E. Molina, and J.D. Gardner.  Alcohol Vapor Inhalation as a Model of Alcohol-Induced Organ Disease. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 40(8):1671-8, 2016. PMID: 27375174 

El Hajj, M.C., V.K. Ninh, E.C. El Hajj, J.M. Bradley, J.D. Gardner. Estrogen Receptor Antagonism Exacerbates Cardiac Structural and Functional Remodeling in Female Rats. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol., 312(1):H98-H105, 2017. PMID: 27769996

El Hajj, E.C., M.C. El Hajj, V.K. Ninh, J.M. Bradley, M.A. Claudino, J.D. Gardner. Detrimental Role of Lysyl Oxidase in Cardiac Remodeling, J Mol Cell Cardiol., 109:17-26, 2017.

Ninh, V.K., E.C. El Hajj, A.J. Mouton, M.C. El Hajj, N.W. Gilpin, J.D.  Gardner. Chronic Ethanol Administration Prevents Compensatory Cardiac Hypertrophy in Pressure Overload. Alcohol Clin Exp Res., 2018 (PMID: 29846943).

Ninh V.K., E.C. El Hajj, A.J. Mouton, J.D. Gardner. Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Causes Adverse Cardiac Extracellular Matrix Changes and Dysfunction in Neonatal Mice. Cardiovasc Toxicol., 29(10): 915-926, 2019 (PMID: 30109531).

Oakes J, J. Xu, T. Morris, N. Fried, C. Pearson, T. Lobell, N. Gilpin, E. Lazartigues*, J.D. Gardner*, and X. Yue*.  Effects of Chronic Nicotine Inhalation on Systemic and Pulmonary Blood Pressure and Right Ventricular Remodeling in Mice. Hypertension, 75(5):1305-1314, 2020 (PMID: 32172623 ).

Fried, N., J.D. Gardner. Heat-not-burn tobacco products: an emerging threat to cardiovascular health. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, 319(6): H1234-H1239, 2020 (PMID: 33006919).

Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests

Our research is primarily focused on elucidating the mechanisms underlying cardiac and vascular dysfunction, with a particular emphasis on adverse extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling that contributes to the progression of congestive heart failure.

Current areas of investigation include:

• detrimental effects of alcohol misuse on adult cardiac health
• cardiovascular impact of vaping alone and in combination with alcohol consumption
• long-term consequences of prenatal exposure to vaping and alcohol on offspring cardiovascular health
• role of lysyl oxidase, a key collagen crosslinking enzyme, and related peptides in maladaptive myocardial ECM remodeling
• sex-based differences in the development and progression of cardiac disease

To address these questions, our laboratory employs a range of rodent models that simulate various forms of cardiac stress and environmental exposure, including pressure and volume overload, hypertension, chronic and binge alcohol intake, and vaping. We also utilize primary adult cardiac cell cultures to investigate molecular pathways involved in ECM remodeling and cardiac dysfunction.

In the News:

HNB Carries Similar Health Risks as Vaping Cigarettes