Thomas P. Davis,
Professor of Pharmacology, Ph.D., University of Missouri, 1978
davistp@u.arizona.edu
http://users.ahsc.arizona.edu/~davis/ Program in Research Integrity Education

Neuropharmacology; molecular regulation of growth factor processing and metabolism; biotech approaches to targeting the blood-brain barrier for new drug development; effects of hypoxia, aglycemia, stroke, peripheral pain and nicotine on endothelial cell permeability, resistance and cytoarchitecture.

Research Activities

Our laboratory continues its long-term biodistribution research program, funded by NIH since 1981, by studying the mechanisms involved in delivering peptide based drugs across the blood-brain barrier to the C.N.S.  We have recently discovered specific peptide drug transporters which can be targeted to enhance delivery.  We are also interested in studying the effect of hypoxia/aglycemia/nicotine on endothelial cell permeability and structure at the blood-brain barrier.  We have recently shown that short-term hypoxia/aglycemia leads to significant alterations in permeability which can be reversed by specific calcium channel antagonists. This work has significant consequences to the study of stroke. Additionally, we have recently shown that peripheral pain has significant effects on BBB cytoarchitecture leading to variations in the delivery of analgesics to the CNS.

Publications (Query PubMed for this investigator)

Hawkins, B.T., R.C. Brown and T.P. Davis. Smoking and ischemic stroke: A role for nicotine? Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 23(2):78-82, 2002.

Huber, J.D., R.D. Egleton and T.P. Davis. Molecular physiology and pathophysiology of blood-brain barrier tight junction. Trends in the Neurosciences 24(12):719-725, 2001.

Witt, K.A., J.D. Huber, R.D. Egleton, M.J. Roberts, M.D. Bentley, L. Guo, H. Wei, H.I. Yamamura and T.P. Davis. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characterization of poly(ethylene glycol) conjugation to Met-enkephalin analogue DPDPE. J. Pharm. Exp. Therap. 298(2):848-856, 2001.

Hom, S, R.D. Egleton, T.J. Abbruscato and T.P. Davis. Effect of reduced flow on blood-brain barrier transport systems. Brain Research 890(1):38-48, 2001.

Egleton, R.D., S.A. Mitchell, J. Huber, M.M. Palian, R. Polt, and T.P. Davis. Improved Blood-Brain Barrier Penetration and Enhanced Analgesia of an Opioid Peptide by Glycosylation. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 299(3)967-972, 2001.

Moody, T.W., J. Chiles, M. Casibang, E.L. Moody, D. Chan and T.P. Davis. SR48692 is a neurotensin receptor agonist which inhibits the growth of small cell lung cancer cells. Peptides 22:109-115, 2001.

Huber, J.D., K.A. Witt, S. Hom, R.D. Egleton, K.S. Mark, and T.P. Davis. Inflammatory pain alters blood?brain barrier permeability and tight junctional protein expression. Amer. J. Physiol. 280:H1241-H1248, 2001.

Witt, K.A., R.D. Egleton, J.D. Huber and T.P. Davis. Insulin enhancement of opioid peptide transport across the blood-brain barrier and assessment of analgesic effect. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Therap. 295(3):972-978, 2000.

Mark, K.S., and T.P. Davis. Stroke: Development, prevention and treatment with peptidase inhibitors. Peptides 21(12):1965-1973, 2000.

Bilsky, E.J., R.D. Egleton, J.D. Huber, H. Jones, H.I. Yamamura, J. Janders, T.P. Davis, P. Davis, F. Porreca, V.J. Hruby, S.A. Mitchell, M.M. Palian, R. Polt. Enkephalin glycopeptide analogs produce analgesia with reduced dependence liability. J. Med. Chem. 43(13):2586-2590, 2000.

Witt, K.A., R.D. Egleton, C. Slate, V.J. Hruby, and T.P. Davis. Assessment of stereoselectivity of trimethylphenylalanine analogs of d-opioid [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]-enkephalin. J. Neurochemistry 75(1):424-435, 2000.

Egleton, R.D., S.A. Mitchell, R. Polt, V.J. Hruby, J.D. Huber and T.P. Davis. Improved bioavailability to the brain of glycosylated Met-enkephalin analogs. Brain Research 881(1):37-46, 2000.

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