Aaron Barchowsky, PhD

The primary focus of current research is investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying human diseases caused by environmental exposures to metals and chronic changes in celular redox status. In vivo and cell cultured based studies focus on the molecular pathology and etiology of vascular disease and lost regenerative capacity caused by chronic exposure to low levels of arsenic in drinking water. The cell signaling pathways that mediate arsenic-stimulated pathogenic phenotypic changes in endothelial,muscle, and stem cells are being investigated.  Research is also focused on critical questions of how environmental arsenic exposures promote unhealthy aging, limit tissue maintenance, and impair tissue stem cell function.

1978  North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC    BS Zoology

1984  Duke University, Durham, NC    PhD Pharmacology

I currently direct the GSPH core curriculum course in Environmental Health and Disease (EOH 2013).  I also lecture in a range of courses in GSPH and the School of Medicine in areas including environmental epidemiology, environmental exposures, risk assessment, molecular cell signaling pathways, pathophysiology, toxicology, angiogenesis, and medical pharmacology.  In addition, I direct the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health MS and PhD program in Environmental Health Sciences.

Stearns-Reider K; D’Amore A; Beezhold K; Rothrauff BB;
Cavalli L; Wagner W; Vorp DA; Tsamis A; Shinde, S; Zhang C; Barchowsky A; Rando TA; Tuan RS; Ambrosio F.  Aging of the skeletal muscle extracellular matrix drives a stem cell fibrogenic conversion. Aging Cell 16:518-528, 2017. PMID: 28371268

Beezhold K, LR Klei, A Barchowsky. Regulation of cyclin D1 by arsenic and microRNA inhibits adipogenesis. Tox Lett 265:147-155, 2017. PMID: 27932253

Zhang C*, R Ferrari*, K Beezhold, K Stearns-Reider, A D’Amore, M Haschak, DB Stolz, PD. Robbins, A Barchowsky, F Ambrosio. Arsenic promotes NF-kB-mediated fibroblast dysfunction and matrix remodeling to impair muscle stem cell function. Stem Cells 34:732-42, 2015. PMID: 26537186

Ambrosio,F, E Brown, DB Stolz, RJ Ferrari, B Goodpaster, BM Deasy, G Distefano, A Roperti, A Cheikhi, Y Garciafigueroa  A Barchowsky. Arsenic induces sustained impairment of skeletal muscle and muscle progenitor cell ultrastructure and bioenergetics. Free Rad Biol Med DOI:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2014.06.012 Epub, 2014. PMID: 24960579

Garciafigueroa DY, LR Klei, F Ambrosio, A Barchowsky.  Arsenic-stimulated lipolysis and adipose remodeling is mediated by G-protein coupled receptors. Toxicol Sci.134:335-344, 2013 PMID: 23650128.