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Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology

The Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology was founded in 1989 and at presents consists of three faculty members and their research teams.

Members of the lab

Faculty members
Evangelia Papadimitriou, Professor [Lab. Director]
Constantinos Mikelis, Associate Professor  
Stavros Topouzis, Associate Professor

Former faculty members
Stamatis Papaioannou, Professor (1989-2001)
Andreas Papapetropoulos, Professor (2003-2013)

Post-doctoral Researchers
Angelos Kaspiris (2019 -)

Former post-doctoral researchers
Maria Hatziapostolou (2005-2006)
Panagiota Stamatiou (2006-2007)
Anastasia Pyriochou (2003-2009)
Antonia Marazioti (2007-2013)
Vasilis Kotsikoris (2011-2015)
Panagiotis Panopoulos (2010-2015)
Evangelia Pantazaka (2013-2017)

PhD candidates
Margarita Lamprou (2011-)
Penelopi Kastana (2016 -)
Efrossyni Choleva (2016 -)
Stamatiki Katraki-Pavlou (2016 -)
Despoina Ntenekou (2017 -)
Eleni Mourkogianni (2017 -)

MSc students
Lamprini Skondra (2014 -)
Zoi Panoutsopoulou (2016 -)
Mihaela Karina Enake (2017 -)
Faini Kofina (2017 -)
Spyridoula Barmpoutsi (2018 -)

PhD graduates (ascension time)
Christos Hatjimichael (1999)
Efstathia Giannopoulou (2003)
Christos Polytarchou (2005)
Anastasia Parthymou (2005)
Constantinos Marios Mikelis (2009)
Vassiliki Koika (2011)
Evgenia Lampropoulou (2011)
Marina Koutsioumpa (2013)
Sotiria Tsirmoula (2015)
Bukar Umaru (2015)
Evangelia Poimenidi (2016)
Antonia Assimakopoulou (2016)

MSc graduates (ascension time)
Christos Hatjimichael (1996), Maria Hatziapostolou (1999), Efstathia Giannopoulou (2000), Eirini Karetsou (2000), Martha Panagiotopoulou (2001), Eleni Kliafa (2002), Sotiris Sideris (2002), Christos Polytarchou (2002), Anastasia Parthymou (2002), Constantinos Marios Mikelis (2004), Nikolaos Karampelas (2004), Stamatia Tziafeta (2004), Maria Manioudaki (2004), Olga Theodorakopoulou (2005), Xhristina Moulkioti (2005), Eldem Sadikoglou (2007), Evangelia Poimenidi (2007), Ariadni Papadopoulou (2007), Chara Nikolaou (2007), George Polykarpou (2007), Elena Kaisi (2007), Zoi Panagi (2007), Georgia Drosou (2007), Anastassios Koukaliotis (2007), Sotiria Tsirmoula (2007), Marina Koutsioumpa (2007), Katerina Theochari (2009), Margarita Lamprou (2009), Christina Theodoropoulou (2010), Katerina Ntai (2010), Angelos Kaspiris (2010), Evanthia Sfaelou (2010), Dionisios Vourtsis (2011), Panagiotis Bountouris (2011), Antri Kouroufexi (2011), Anastasia Murissa (2011), Anastasios Giannos (2011), Evangelia Dermitzioti (2012), Vaia Mylona (2013), Dimitra Kotsirilou (2013), Vasiliki Argyropoulou (2013), Vasilis Loutas (2013), Dimitrios Tsiotos (2014), Ioanna Logoviti (2015), Dimitrios Tassopoulos (2015), Eirini Droggiti (2015), Panagiota Papachristoforou (2015), Joanna Tsigkou (2016), Effrosyni Choleva (2016), Kleio Bourika (2016), Penelopi Kastana (2016), Charilaos Malakis (2016), Barbara Theofanopoulou (2017), Eleni Mourkogianni (2017), Despoina Ntenekou (2017), Dimitrios Spyropoulos (2019), Dimitrios Bousis (2019)

Research Interests
The main research interests of the lab members are focused on pharmacological mechanisms that can be potentially targeted therapeutically and play a role in the pathophysiology of endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells of the arterial wall (e.g. in athero-metabolic diseases), as well as in physiological and cancer angiogenesis. Briefly, these are:

  1. Study of signal transducers/receptors/pathways in angiogenesis regulation, as well as in the development of various types of cancer, with the aim of identifying new therapeutic targets. 
  2. Investigation of the possible antiangiogenic and/or anticancer activity of new bioactive compounds. 
  3. Study of the role of pleiotrophin and its receptor RPTPβ/ζ in bone pathophysiology as targets for therapeutic approaches. 
  4. Identification and pharmacological characterization of soluble guanylate cyclase activators and their possible use in atherosclerotic diseases. 
  5. Characterization of the effects of HDL lipoprotein fractions of varying origin and composition on vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cell functions. 
  6. Study of the effect of peptide hormones (such as FSH and CNP) and the expression of transcription factors (such as myocardins and COUP-TF II) on endothelial functions related to angiogenesis and inflammation. 

Collaborations - Funding
Faculty members of the lab collaborate with faculty members and researchers in laboratories of the same or different Departments of the University of Patras, as well as laboratories of other Universities and Research Centers in Greece and abroad. Their research has been and is funded by various grants (GSRT, Ministry of Education, University of Patras Research Committee, European Union, private funding).

Infrastructure
The Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology of the Department of Pharmacy has modern facilities that include an organized clean room with five class II biological safety laminar flows, four CO2 cell culture incubators and two reverse-phase fluorescent microscopes, optical microscopes, an intravital microscope, centrifuges, water baths, PCR, real-time PCR, protein and DNA/RNA electrophoresis systems, photometers (UV, chemiluminescence, fluorescence), ELISA readers, pH meters, scales, a beta-radiation counter, freezers etc. In addition, members of the lab have access to the central University of Patras infrastructure and to all print and electronic resources of the University of Patras central library.

Teaching
Faculty members of the lab are involved in teaching the following undergraduate and postgraduate courses:

Undergraduate:

  • Introduction to Pharmaceutical Sciences, lectures (2 h/week) and lab courses (4 h/week), 1st semester. 
  • Pharmacology I, lectures (4 h/week) and lab courses (2 h/week), 5th semester. 
  • Pharmacology II, lectures (4 h/week), 6th semester. 
  • Toxicology, lectures (3 h/week), 8th semester. 
  • Molecular Pharmacology, lectures (4 h/week) and lab courses (4 h/week), 8th semester. 
  • Pharmacy Practice (10 h/week), 9th semester. 
  • Pharmaceutical Care (10 h/week), 10th semester. 

Postgraduate:
Master's Degree (MSc) Program of the Department of Pharmacy “Discovery and Development of Drugs”

  • Preclinical and Clinical Evaluation of Drugs (5 h/week). 
  • Molecular Targets of Drug Action (3 h/week). 
  • Precision Therapeutics (3 h/week). 

Master's Degree (MSc) Program of the Department of Pharmacy "Cosmetology - Preparation and Evaluation of Cosmetic Products"

  • Quality, Safety and Effectiveness Check of Cosmetic Products (3 h/week). Interdepartmental Master's Degree (MSc) Program in “Life Sciences Informatics” 
  • Principles of Pathophysiology and Therapy (3 h/week). 

 

Textbooks and tutorial notes authored or edited by faculty members of the lab

  • General Principles in Pharmacology, E. Papadimitriou, 2001 (University of Patras Publications).  
  • Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, E. Papadimitriou, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008 (University of Patras Publications).
  • Introduction to Pharmaceutical Sciences, E. Papadimitriou, C. Avgoustakis and G. Pairas, 2005, 2014 (University of Patras Publications). 
  • Molecular Pharmacology, E. Papadimitriou (Parisianou A.E., Athens, Greece, ISBN: 978-960-394-609-0, 2010). 
  • Translation and editing of the Greek edition of the book «Lecture Notes: Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics» by Gerald A. McKay, John L. Reid and Matthew R. Walters, 8th Edition (Parisianou A.E., Athens, Greece, ISBN: 978-960-394-980-0, 2014). 
  • Participation in editing of the Greek edition of the book «Pharmacology, 7th Edition» by Humphry P. Rang, Maureen M. Dale, James M. Ritter, Rod Flower and Graeme Henderson (Parisianou A.E., Athens, Greece, ISBN: 960-394-923-Χ, 2014). 
  • Participation in editing of the Greek edition of the book «Pharmacology, 8th Edition» by Humphry P. Rang, Maureen M. Dale, James M. Ritter, Rod Flower and Graeme Henderson (Parisianou A.E., Athens, Greece, ISBN: 978-960-583-173-8, 2018). 
  • Participation in translation and editing of the Greek edition of the book “Casarett and Doull’s Essentials of Toxicology” 2nd Edition (Parisianou A.E., Athens, Greece, 2013). 

Representative publications

  1. Mikelis C, Sfaelou E, Koutsioumpa M Kieffer N, Papadimitriou E. Integrin ανβ3 is a pleiotrophin receptor required for pleiotrophin-induced endothelial cell migration through receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase β/ζ. FASEB J 23:1459-1469, 2009. 
  2. Thomas JA, Deaton RA, Hastings NE, Shang Y, Moehle CW, Eriksson U, Topouzis S, Wamhoff BR, Blackman BR, Owens GK. PDGF-DD, a novel mediator of smooth muscle cell phenotypic modulation, is upregulated in endothelial cells exposed to atherosclerosis-prone flow patterns. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 296:H442-52, 2009. 
  3. Koutsioumpa M, Polytarchou C, Courty J, Zhang Y, Kieffer N, Mikelis C, Skandalis S, Hellman U, Iliopoulos D, Papadimitriou E. Interplay between alpha v beta 3 integrin and nucleolin regulates human endothelial and glioma cell migration. J Biol Chem 288:343-354, 2013. 
  4. Koutsioumpa M, Poimenidi E, Pantazaka E, Theodoropoulou C, Skoura A, Megalïoikonomou V, Kieffer N, Courty J, Mizumoto S, Sugahara K, Papadimitriou E. Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase beta/zeta is a functional binding partner for vascular endothelial growth factor. Mol Cancer, 14:19, 2015. 
  5. Umaru B, Pyriochou A, Kotsikoris V, Papapetropoulos A, Topouzis S. ATP-sensitive potassium channel activation induces angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 354:79-87, 2015. 
  6. Papapetropoulos A, Hobbs AJ, Topouzis S. Extending the translational potential of targeting NO/cGMP-regulated pathways in the CVS. Br J Pharmacol 172:1397-414, 2015. 
  7. Glynos C, Toumpanakis D, Loverdos K, Karavana V, Zhou Z, Magkou C, Dettoraki M, Perlikos F, Pavlidou A, Kotsikoris V, Topouzis S, Theocharis SE, Brouckaert P, Giannis A, Papapetropoulos A, Vassilakopoulos T. Guanylyl cyclase activation reverses resistive breathing-induced lung injury and inflammation. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 52:762-71, 2015. 
  8. Papadimitriou E, Pantazaka E, Castana P, Tsalios T, Polyzos Α, Beis D. Pleiotrophin and its receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase beta/zeta as regulators of angiogenesis and cancer. BBA Reviews on Cancer 1866:252-265, 2016. 
  9. Spathis AD, Asvos X, Ziavra D, Karampelas T, Topouzis S, Cournia Z, Qing X, Alexakos P, Smits LM, Dalla C, Rideout HJ, Schwamborn JC, Tamvakopoulos C, Fokas D, Vassilatis DK. Nurr1:RXRα heterodimer activation as monotherapy for Parkinson's disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114:3999-4004, 2017. 
  10. Glynos C, Bibli SI, Katsaounou P, Pavlidou A, Magkou C, Karavana V, Topouzis S, Kalomenidis I, Zakynthinos S, Papapetropoulos A. Comparison of the effects of e-cigarette vapor with cigarette smoke on lung function and inflammation in mice. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 315:L662-L672, 2018. 
  11. Lampropoulou E, Logoviti I, Koutsioumpa M, Hatziapostolou M, Polytarchou C, Skandalis SS, Hellman U, Fousteris M, Nikolaropoulos S, Choleva E, Skoura A, Megalooikonomou V, Papadimitriou E. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 mediates pleiotrophin-induced endothelial cell migration. Sci Rep 8:5893, 2018. 
  12. Kastana P, Choleva E, Poimenidi E, Karamanos N, Sugahara K, Papadimitriou E. Insight into the role of chondroitin sulfate E in angiogenesis. FEBS J 286(15):2921-2936, 2019.