Xianwen Yi, MD, PhD Assistant Professor Office: 919-966-6916 E-mail: xianwen_yi@med.unc.edu

Research Interests

Oxidative stress is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases such as diabetes, diabetic complications including diabetic cardiovascular disease and diabetic nephropathy, and inflammation. My primary research interest is to illustrate the mechanisms by which antioxidants contribute to preventive and/or therapeutic functions against these oxidative stress related diseases. I am particularly interested in mechanisms of alpha-lipoic acid (LA), a versatile and natural antioxidant. Treatment with LA has been shown to significantly improve the symptoms of diabetic polyneuropathy patients in clinical trials. Current studies are designed to examine the role of the antioxidant in diabetic complications and inflammation by using cell culture and various genetic mouse models including lipoic acid synthase conventional knockout and conditional knockout mice.

Selected Publications

Yi, X.*, Xu, L., Hiller, S., Kim, H. and Maeda, N.* Diabetes induced by streptozotocin enhances atherosclerosis in ApoE^-/-Lias^+/- mice. Atherosclerosis, 2012 May 16. [Epub ahead of print]). (*corresponding author)

Yi, X.*, Xu, L., Hiller, S., Kim, H., Nickeleit,. V., James, L. and Maeda, N.* Genetic reduction of α-lipoic acid production accelerates progression of diabetic nephropathy in Ins2^Akita/+ mice. J Am Soc Nephrol. 23(1):103-111, January, 2012. (*corresponding author)

Yi, X.*, Nickeleit. V., James, L., and Maeda, N. α-Lipoic Acid Protects Diabetic Apolipoprotien E-deficient Mice from Nephropathy. Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications, 25(3):193-201, May-June, 2011. (*corresponding author)

Yi, X.*, Xu, L., Kim, K., Kim, H and Maeda N. Genetic reduction of α-lipoic acid production accelerates progression of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E deficient male mice. Atherosclerosis, 211(2):424-30, August, 2010. (*corresponding author)

Yi, X., Kim, K., Yuan, W., Xu, L. Kim, H.S., Homeister, J.W, Key, N.S, and Maeda, N. Mice with heterozygous deficiency of lipoic acid synthase have an increased sensitivity to lipopolysaccharide-induced tissue injury. Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 85(1):146-53, January, 2009.

Yi, X. and Maeda, N. Alpha-Lipoic acid prevents the increases in atherosclerosis Induced by diabetes in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice fed high fat/low cholesterol diet, Diabetes 55: 2238-2244, August, 2006.

Kakoki, M., Kizer, C.M., Yi, X, Takahashi, N., Kim, H.S., Bagnell, C.R., Edgell, C.J., Maeda, N., Jennette, J.C., Smithies, O. Senescence-associated phenotypes in Akita diabetic mice are enhanced by absence of bradykinin B2 receptors. J Clin Invest, 116(5):1302-9, May, 2006.

Yi, X. and Maeda, N. Endogenous production of lipoic acid is essential for mouse development. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 25: 8387-8392, Sept., 2005.

Yi, X., Conesa, A., Punt, P. J., and Hager, L. P. Examining the role of glutamic acid 183 in chloroperoxidase catalysis. J. Biol. Chem., 278: 13855-13859, 2003.

Wang, X., Tachikawa, H., Yi, X., Manoj, K. M., and Hager, L. P. Two-dimensional NMR study of the heme active site structure of chloroperoxidase. J. Biol. Chem., 278: 7765-7774, 2003.

Yi, X., Mroczko, M., Manoj, K. M., Wang, X., and Hager, L. P. Replacement of the proximal heme thiolate ligand in chloroperoxidase with a histidine residue. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 96: 12412-12417, 1999.

Manoj, K. M., Yi, X., Rai, G. P., and Hager, L. P. A kinetic epoxidation assay for chloroperoxidase. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 66: 301-303, 1999.

Yi, X., Kot, E., and Bezkorovainy, A. Properties of NADH oxidase from Lactobacillus bulgaricus. J. Science Food Agricultural, 78: 527-534, 1998.

Bezkorovainy, A., Yi, X., and Kot, E. Hydrogen peroxide production and ferric hydroxide binding by lactic acid bacteria. In: Research Signpost: Recent Research Developments in Nutrition Research. Ed: S. G. Pandalai. Trivandrum, India. Vol.1: 49-57, 1996.

View list of publications from PubMed