Gohar Azhar, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Geriatrics at the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatrics at UAMS. She is investigating whether the cysteine protease interleukin-1 (IL-1) beta converting enzyme (ICE or caspase 1) may contribute to cardiac modifications in the heart, especially in older individuals with hypertension and atherosclerosis. Myocardial ischemic injury is mediated in part by the pro-inflammatory cytokines. Elevated levels of IL-1 beta, which mediates inflammatory injury in the heart and stimulates neutrophil activation, have been observed in a variety of cardiac injury syndromes with oxidative damage and immune mediated injury. Caspases 1(ICE) and 3 can mediate DNA fragmentation in cardiomyocytes.

Dr. Azhar is also interested in studying the effect of ischemic injury in the aging heart, and brain and age-associated alterations in the spectrum of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins. Understanding these changes will help develop interventional therapies to protect these vital organs. Her clinical research interests include congestive heart failure, syncope and chronic pain management in aging individuals.

Selected Publications:

Azhar G, Gao W, Liu L, Wei JY. Ischemia-reperfusion in the adult mouse heart:Influenec of age. Exp Gerontology, 1999; 34(4):699-714.

Azhar G, Liu L, Zhnag X, Wei JY. Influence of age on hypoxia/reoxgenation-induced DNA fragmentation and bcl-2, bcl-xl, bax and fas in the rat heart and brain. Mech Ageing Dev. 1999; 112:5-25

Kyne L, Hausdorff JM, Knight E, Dukas L, Azhar G, Wei JY. Neutrophilia and congestive heart failure following acute myocardial infarction. Am Heart J 2000;139:94-100.

Zhang XM, Azhar G, Chai J, Sheridan P, Nagano K, Brown T, Yang JH, Khrapko K, Borras AM. Lawitts J, Misra RP, Wei JY. Cardiomyopathy in transgenic mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of serum response factor. Am J Physiol. 2001, 280 (4):H 1782-92.

Zhang X, Azhar G, Furr M, Wei JY. Model of functional cardiac aging: Young adult mice with mild over-expression of serum response factor. Am J. Physiol., 2003, 285: R552-560.